

Chinese Stealth Plane J-20 Revealed - psogle
http://www.asb.tv/blog/2011/01/the-mystery-behind-the-chinese-stealth-plane-j-20/

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SkyMarshal
The characteristic stealth shapes and angles are clearly based on the F22.
Their cyber-espionage appears to be paying off.

 _'The J-20 has a canard delta layout (like Chengdu’s J-10) with two canted,
all-moving vertical stabilizers (like the T-50) and smaller canted ventral
fins. The stealth body shaping is similar to that of the F-22. The flat body
sides are aligned with the canted tails, the wing-body junction is clean, and
there is a sharp chine line around the forward fuselage. The cant angles are
greater than they are on the Lockheed Martin F-35, and the frameless canopy is
similar to that of the F-22.'_

[http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/jsp_includes/articlePrint.jsp...](http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/jsp_includes/articlePrint.jsp?storyID=news/awst/2011/01/03/AW_01_03_2011_p18-279564.xml&headLine=null)

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prewett
Nothing about the fact that the J-20 looks like the F-22 implies cyber-
espionage. If I were trying to build a stealth fighter, the first thing I'd do
is look at pictures of it and make something that looks similar. (Since
aviation week, or whoever, was able to tell what the angles of the J-20 are, I
assume China would have no problem figuring out the shape of the F-22 from the
numerous pictures available.) Even if you just knew the idea of shaping the
plane to deflect radar signals, you'd probably end up with something similar.
I expect that the really important stuff is in things not in the pictures:
materials to use, paint to use, paints not to use, how to make non-radar-
reflective joints/weapons/mounts, how to get good aerodynamics with all those
sharp edges, etc.

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DanHulton
I just finished reading Skunk Works, and actually the biggest contributor to
stealth technology IS the angles and the shape. The materials definitely help
(or hinder, if you get them wrong), but thing #1 is having the right shape.

Aerodynamics relies heavily on having a good computer-assisted flight system,
since stealth shapes tend not to be aerodynamic.

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SkyMarshal
Yup, great book, amazing stories. Ironically, the understanding for how shape
an aircraft to redirect radar was inspired by a journal article by a Soviet
aerospace engineer on how to design fighter nose cones for optimal nose radar
transmission.

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kznewman
I like the multiple images here but for some analysis I saw this a couple days
ago...

[http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/jsp_includes/articlePrint.jsp...](http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/jsp_includes/articlePrint.jsp?storyID=news/awst/2011/01/03/AW_01_03_2011_p18-279564.xml&headLine=null)

2c, I think the fixation on 4th-Gen, 5th-Gen or whatever is distracting. How
fast, how far, How much would be more interesting questions.

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SlipperySlope
One has to wonder that by the time manned stealth air-superiority fighters are
deployed, whether they will be operationally inferior to, and greatly
outnumbered by, adversary air-superiority fighter UAVs.

What a waste of resources on behalf of pilot-dominated air forces.

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mattiask
also known as "No Ping"

