Posted on 08/31/2011 11:06:25 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
J-2X - yet another regional fighter?
By Greg Waldron
on August 31, 2011
I came across a blog entry claiming that Pakistan and China plan to co-develop a 'fourth generation stealth fighter' called the J-2X. The images below first appeared on the Asian Defence News blog site.
The aircraft looks like a hodgepodge of existing types - none of them stealthy. The J-2X's clipped delta wing is reminiscent of the F-16 and JF-17, the intakes scream F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, and the tail plane, again, is very F-16.
Is this for real? Possibly. Chengdu and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex worked closely on the JF-17 programme, with this aircraft steadily entering service in the Pakistan Air Force. Based on these rudimentary images the J-2X would not appear to offer much over the Chengdu J-10B, of which Pakistan reportedly signed for 36 in 2009, though this deal has yet to be officially confirmed. CATIC reps just smile and shake their head when I ask them about it.
Then again, with the JF-17 put to bed Pakistan will presumably want to keep its aerospace engineers busy. Military aircraft have far more to do with politics and jobs than with defence requirements and common sense.
Perhaps the J-2X will join other regional fighter programmes, such as India's medium combat aircraft (MCA), Tokyo's ATD-X, and the KF-X that will be developed by Seoul and Jakarta.
Ping.
Thanks
Oh yeah, so they can build more madrassassa's and fund the Taliban and other terror groups to kill American's and Indians. Now I remember.
America has always created her own enemies.
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