Sunday, November 09, 2014

F-35 News. China is re-shaping its clone. What does that tell us?

Photo via Chinese Military Review blog.


Above you see a photo that the Chinese Military Review blog calls a refined model of the J-31 developed by AVIC.

What does this tell us?

Just spitballing here but the Chinese have full access (whether we like it or not) to the F-35's specs.  They probably were able to steal the results of its testing and know its true capabilities.

Does this indicate that the F-35 isn't as stealthy as is being claimed?  Does it mean that they desire a higher level of stealth than is available in its current form?  Are they having trouble with the stealth coating and are trying to refine the shape to get it up to standard?

I have no idea.

I'll let you aviation guys fight this out, but I find it interesting.  Could we finally see the Chinese move...even if its just a little (and I understand that some will say that this is just an attempt to make the J-31 look more like the F-22)...from stealing to innovating?

Time will tell.