"Strateg", the sixth generation and the UAV: the main concepts and novelties of Airshow China
From September 28 to October 3, the International Aviation and Space Salon Airshow China 2021 was held in Zhuhai.
It is the largest in China aviation exhibition, which was held for the 13th time. Representatives of 40 countries and regions took part in it. Among the samples shown were the achievements of the military and civil aviation industry, air defense systems and much more.
Consider examples of combat aircraft.
Sixth generation fighter concept
At the international aerospace show, the appearance of a promising sixth generation Chinese fighter was officially presented.
Developer - Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The aircraft has two engines, a cockpit and signs of stealth technology. Weapon placed inside the fuselage. The expected characteristics of the car are not given.
So far, this is only a concept, and it is not known exactly what the new aircraft will be. Nevertheless, China has outlined a general direction. Obviously, the car is being created with an eye on Western developments, such as the American F / A-XX or the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
It is worth saying that the Americans are already testing the sixth generation demonstrator. The Europeans have so far shown only mock-ups: a flying demonstrator of a promising fighter will appear around the middle of the decade.
Thus, in theory, China has a chance to overtake its opponents.
Suffice it to recall that back in 2017 he adopted the first in his stories fifth generation fighter J-20. The car made its first flight in 2011: the pace of development is truly impressive.
H-20 bomber concept
Another event for which drew attention Telegram channel Dambiev is the first official demonstration by AVIC of the appearance of the promising Chinese stealth bomber H-20.
As in the case of the "six", this was not unexpected. It has been known for a long time about the program of development by China of the "invisible" bomber.
It is no exaggeration to say that this is the first purely Chinese strategic bomber. The Chinese Air Force and Navy operate the Xian H-6, but it is broadly a modification of the old Soviet Tu-16. Today the plane is outdated, both morally and physically.
In the case of the H-20, the Celestial Empire did not reinvent the wheel and followed the path paved by the Americans with the B-2 Spirit. The characteristics of the Chinese, however, will be more modest.
According to China Daily, the PRC military wants to have a long-range bomber (up to 8 thousand kilometers) capable of carrying up to 10 tons of weapons.
Experts suggest that the plane can be equipped with Russian NK-321 engines. According to some sources, they decided to equip the bomber with an upgraded version of the WS-10 engine, which is installed on the Chengdu J-10 fighter.
J-16D electronic warfare aircraft
Live at the exhibition you could see a new Chinese electronic warfare aircraft D-16D, built, as you might guess, on the basis of the Soviet Su-27.
In more detail, the car became a version of the Chinese J-16, which is a copy of the Russian Su-30MKK.
The plane is two-seater. One seat is intended for the pilot, the second - for the navigator-operator, who will be responsible for the use of electronic equipment.
J-16Ds should be regularly equipped with electronic warfare suspended containers. Armament, according to According to bmpd blog, will be presented by anti-radar missiles. The use of air-to-air missiles cannot be ruled out either. There is no cannon on the plane.
The J-16D made its first flight back in 2015.
The exhibit was shown with hanging containers (as far as one can judge, for the first time) with equipment: there are four containers in total.
The current status of the J-16D is not yet known, but given the recent demonstration, the aircraft is likely to hit troops soon.
Fighter-bomber JH-7A2
China has updated the Xian JH-7 fighter-bomber and introduced its modern version.
The aircraft was created on the basis of the JH-7A: it looks almost identical to the base version.
The main difference was the extended strike potential.
This applies to air-to-surface missiles, laser-guided bombs and so-called wind-corrected ammunition distributors.
The main tasks of the aircraft, as it is easy to predict, are the destruction of sea and land targets.
FH-97
Nowadays, it is impossible to imagine any major air show without a UAV.
One way or another, the Chinese did not fail here either, showing the world several remarkable concepts at once.
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) showed the FH-97. So far, as far as can be understood, this is just a model.
Nevertheless, the project is extremely interesting.
Most likely, we have before us what is now commonly called the "unmanned wingman". This is supported by at least its appearance, almost completely copied from the American XQ-58A Valkyrie. We see a very similar V-shaped empennage, an upper air intake and an internal weapons compartment.
Valkyrie itself was created under the program of the US Air Force Research Laboratory, aimed at developing low-cost aviation technologies, Low Cost Attritable Aviation Technologies (LCAAT). The LCAAT's mission is to escort F-22 or F-35 fighters during combat missions.
In the case of China, UAVs can also be used to escort new fifth-generation fighters. Probably, the FH-97 will be able to perform, including strike missions.
CH-6
Among other novelties from the world of unmanned aircraft is the CH-6 reconnaissance and strike UAV.
It belongs to the HALE class (High Altitude Long Endurance). The CH-6 was equipped with a T-tail and two jet engines, which are installed at the rear.
The device has a length of 15 meters, its wingspan is 20,5 meters. CH-6 can accelerate to 800 kilometers per hour, while cruising speed reaches 500-700 kilometers per hour. The maximum take-off weight of the CH-6 is 7,8 tons.
Two types of layout were presented at the exhibition: reconnaissance and reconnaissance-shock. In the latter case, the maximum carrying capacity is two tons, and the flight range reaches 4,5 thousand kilometers.
This is just a small part of Airshow China's aircraft. At the same time, it should be said that we could see many other exhibits (for example, the J-20 fighter) before, including at close range. One thing is for sure: acquaintance with the main novelties of the Celestial Empire is only awaiting us in the future.
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