When I first saw the leaked images of the Chinese Chengdu J-20 a fifth generation stealth aircraft prototype developed by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) I could not notice a resemblance to at least three other type of aircraft: the F-22 Raptor, currently operating with the USAF; the Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23, a prototype fighter built in two examples that lost the contest to the Lockheed Martin F-22 for the USAF Advanced Tactical Fighter; and the the Mig-31 “Firefox”, a fictional aircraft appearing in “Firefox”, a 1982 action film produced and directed by, and starring, Clint Eastwood based on a 1977 novel written by Craig Thomas. Three aircraft: a contemporary one, a prototype and a fictional one, bringing us to some conclusions:
- The aircraft design is clearly inspired to the F-22
- The J-20 is sensibly larger than the F-22 and F-35
- The aft fuselage and nozzle geometry are not “stealth compliant” meaning that the authenticity of the photos is questionable (even though the aircraft could simply be a technology demonstrator or a very early prototype)
I’ll let you judge by yourself.
More from The Aviationist
The Incredible Armada of Aircraft Behind 1969’s Battle of Britain Film
On Sept. 15, 1969, cinema audiences were treated to a dramatic portrayal…
US Approves Possible Sale of Nine KC-46A Pegasus Tankers for Japan
The latest deal would take the number of KC-46As in Japan’s inventory…
U.S. State Department Approves $7.2B Sale Of F-35 Jets To Romania
The Foreign Military Sale’s approval comes after Romania announced the plan to…
Wooden Avengers, Target Kites, and Draftees: How America’s First New Deal Community Took the Fight to the Axis
Situated in the quiet hills of West Virginia, the small town of…
DARPA Awards BAE Systems $4 Million for Autonomous Beyond Visual Range Air Combat Program
Autonomy solutions for BVR combat will initially be developed and demonstrated on…
Actually, also the Russian Sukhoi T-50 (PA FAK) has many similarities with the J-20 as the following Sukhoi images show:
