Chinese New Militairy Aircraft Programs

[keesje]

Ambition and Money can do a lot. For those who lost track recent projects:

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z160/keesje_pics/ChineseAircraftDevelopment_zps68950d67.jpg

Those who still dismiss everything as either copies or inferior haven't been paying attention IMO. The amount of people doing aerospace Research and Development must be enormous. And so the funding.

The rest of Asia isn't sitting on its hands either. It seems the balance of power is shifting in the next 40 yrs. They didn't stick to consumer products.

[Temp Spike]

The amount of people doing aerospace Research and Development must be enormous

More like the amount of people doing espionage.

[The Helpful Stacker]

Keesje - Hate to be pedantic but many of those aircraft are actually updated copies (either licence built versions or otherwise) of Soviet-era designs.

A fair bit of tarted up SU-27, AN-12 and TU-16 underpinnings among that lot. Not that its a bad thing of course using such aircraft, especially in the numbers they have, but the Chinese have a fairly well deserved reputation for just copying other people's designs through fair means or foul.

[keesje]

J-31, J-20, L-15, Y-8, Z-10, Y-20, the UAV, what are they the copies of?

I think the time has come to leave our comfort zone "Inferior or Copy".

Like we had to with the Japanese 40 yrs ago.

[The Helpful Stacker]

Keesje - I know English isn't your first language but 'many' is not the same as 'all'. The very fact you have gone on to ask me about seven of the seventeen aircraft pictured shows me that you may understand this though.

As for your question, at least one of those is a development of the AN-12, I'll let you work out which.

And where did 'inferior' come from? I think it says more about you by using such terminology when, in this thread at least, no one has suggested it.

[Fareastdriver]

I think keesjie is carrying over an argument with USMCProbe on another thread. My experiences in China, some fifteen years with direct contact with the PLAAF and Navy, is that they have some excellent kit but there is a serious training and usage shortage.

[JFZ90]

I think Keesjies basic point is valid, and the fact that some responses above are quibbling about which aircraft maybe derivatives proves his basic point. I take that point to be that some commentators appear too quick to dismiss this emerging industrial capability.

The volume of activity alone makes it feel like farnborough 1953, and should be taken seriously, if nothing else than from an industrial (competition) point of view.

[keesje]

JZF90, correct. Everybody can see how much the Chinese used/ stole of western and russian aerospace. But the Chinese appear to be in a steep learning curve and the latest wave of (flying) new designs proves they have been building up an independent design capability.

[Temp Spike]

Don't worry, we have missiles.