Combat aircraft

generation’ type is equivalent to a Western

‘fifth-generation’ fighter.

In the same way that the 2016

announcement that China’s new

strategic bomber will ‘appear soon’, He

Weirong’s statement was met with much

skepticism. However, around a year later

the aircraft was finally revealed — much

earlier than any Western military analysts

expected. Following much discussion

about its status and its powerplant, the

first flight was performed successfully on

January 11, 2011.

From what has emerged following its

service introduction, the very first two

aircraft — numbered ‘2001’ and ‘2002’ —

were indeed technology demonstrators

from a so-called concept/demonstration

phase. Aircraft ‘2002’ appeared in May

2012, and while most observers expected

a longer intermission until the next

aircraft appeared, CAC began weapon

integration tests. These revealed the

new PL-10 imaging-infra-red-guided

short-range air-to-air missile (AAM) on a

unique retractable side missile launch rail,

and, in 2013, the new PL-15 long-range

AAM. Before the next aircraft was finally

unveiled, ‘2002’ was renumbered as ‘2004’

and ‘2001’ received a new coat of light gray

paint. Both jets were transferred to the

China Flight Test Establishment (CFTE) at

Xi’an-Yanliang for further testing.

What followed was yet another

surprise. Although completion of the

third prototype was delayed until late

2013, it emerged as a radically modified

prototype featuring ‘major improvements’.

The following year was a major success for

CAC since it saw four prototypes making

their maiden flights within 10 months:

‘2011’ on March 1, ‘2012’ on July 26, ‘2013’

on competing advanced fighter designs

for some time. Understandably, few facts

became known and news reports were

often contradictory. However, it seems

that SAC’s 601 Institute proposed a fairly

conventional concept featuring a ‘triplane’

design with canards, widely canted tail

fins and horizontal tails. Meanwhile, the

611 Institute at Chengdu was researching

a more radical tail-less delta-canard

design with two V-shaped tails and lateral

diverterless supersonic intakes (DSI). The

latter design was chosen and, somewhat

surprisingly, in November 2009 the deputy

commander of the People’s Liberation

Army Air Force (PLAAF), Gen He Weirong,

stated that China’s fourth-generation

would fly ‘soon’. Initial operational

capability (IOC) was projected between

2017 and 2019. Noteworthy is the fact

that, in Chinese parlance, a ‘fourth-

J-20A ‘78272’

was one of the

first two aircraft

handed over to

the PLAAF on

December 12,

2016 for the

type’s official

service entry.

All photos via

Chinese internet

Jfi20 | FIGHTER FOCUS

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