Wednesday 2 December 2015

The Eighth J-20 Prototype '2017',

made its maiden flight on November 24,


the ceremony surrounding its November 24, 2015 maiden flight suggests that the J-20 project has hit a major milestone,


 the first Chinese squadron of J-20s will start flying in 2017, about six years after the J-20's first flight in January 2011, the most significant change in the new prototype is the reshaped cockpit canopy, which provides the pilot with greater visibility, the lack of other great design changes suggest that '2017' is very close to the final J-20 production configuration,

the first squadrons of LRIP J-20 stealth fighters will have less powerful engines, but their stealth, radars and avionics would still put them ahead of any non fifth generation fighter in Asia, or the world, in terms of performance the J-20s may not be as fast as the F-22 (but will be fast as the F-35), but they will still possess stealthy features, advanced radars, jammers, infrared sensors and long range missiles, providing new competition in the arms race to dominate the skies, it is not known how many J-20s will be built, but I guess a lot.


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