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The Chinese Navy Could Save The Stealth Fighter No One Else Wants

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It’s no secret that China is developing yet another stealth warplane, potentially the sixth for the rising military power.

The radar-evading plane in question could be a new variant of the FC-31, a private effort by the Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute to develop a lightweight low-observable fighter to complement the heavier Chengdu J-20, China’s first and so-far only operational stealth fighter.

If that’s indeed the case, then photos that appeared on Chinese social media in April and May gain new significance. The photos seem to depict a third FC-31 prototype, one that features significant changes relative to the first two FC-31s, which took off on their inaugural flights in 2012 and 2016.

It’s possible Shenyang made the changes to please the FC-31’s only likely buyer, the Chinese navy.

The third FC-31 boasts smoother lines, a bigger radome for a bigger radar and closer alignment of its control surfaces, which can help to reduce the plane’s radar signature. In short, the FC-31 design in its third incarnation is getting closer to being production-ready.

Chinese officials describe the 30-ton FC-31 as an export fighter, but so far there are no foreign buyers. The American F-35 has largely cornered the market for stealth-fighter imports.

The Chinese air force seems to be content slowly to buy the 40-ton J-20 in order gradually to expand its front-line stealth force. Since the J-20 first flew in 2011, Beijing has acquired just 39 copies of the plane.

That leaves the Chinese navy, which has a clear need for a new fighter to replace its 50 or so J-15s, which are copies of the Soviet-era Su-33, itself a navalized early-model Su-27. The 36-ton J-15 is too heavy for the Chinese fleet’s first two aircraft carriers—one a former Soviet hull and the other a copy of that vessel.

Both flattops lack catapults, meaning their must launch their planes via a bow ramp. That low-energy launch method limits how much fuel and weaponry a J-15 can carry. The Chinese fighters have never been photographed carrying more than a few air-to-air missiles. Four recent crashes reportedly undermined the navy’s faith in the J-15’s reliability.

As of 2020, a typical Chinese carrier air wing operates as many as 30 aircraft, usually a mix of J-15s and helicopters. China is developing a carrier-compatible early-warning aircraft similar to the U.S. Navy's own carrier-borne E-2.

China’s third aircraft carrier, a domestic design, is under construction in Shanghai. It reportedly includes catapults. Catapult-launch could improve the J-15’s performance. But a navalized FC-31, being lighter than the J-15 is, could perform even better.

There have been reports that Chengdu might develop a carrier-compatible version of the J-20. But according to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, the Chinese navy has urged Shenyang to develop the FC-31 for the role.

The type already features the heavy-duty landing gear and twin nose-wheel that are standard on carrier aircraft that must endure high-impact landings.

Whether it’s a naval J-20 or a development of the FC-31, the Chinese navy clearly wants a carrier-compatible “fourth-generation” stealth fighter in order to match the U.S. fleet’s own F-35C stealth fighters.

"Only a fourth-generation fighter jet can stand up against another fourth-generation fighter in an engagement without being at a significant disadvantage," an unnamed military source told Global Times.

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