전투기 중국, J-20 복좌기 모형 공개

[위종민]

11월 11일 주하이 에어쇼에서 중국이 J-20의 복좌기인 J-20S를 공개했습니다. 

현재까지 실용화된 5세대 전투기들은 모두 단좌모델인데 최초의 복좌 5세대 전투기네요. 후방석 파일럿의 역할은 중국판 로열 윙맨이나 CCA의 제어로 추정됩니다. 

미국은 NGAD를 개발하는 쪽을 택했는데 중국은 5세대에 이 기능을 추가해 협업하는 쪽을 택했네요. 물론 6세대도 동시에 개발하는 투트랙 전략일 수도 있겠고, 미국도 나중에 기존 전투기에 이 기능을 추가할 수도 있겠습니다. 

China declassifies world-first fifth-generation stealth fighter variant - Airforce Technology

China declassifies world-first fifth-generation stealth fighter variant

No other country in the world has a twin-seat fifth-generation fighter, which offers distinct advantages over single-seat combat aircraft.

Richard ThomasNovember 12, 2024

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The J-20S is being exhibited at the Zhuhai Airshow in China. Credit: Zhao Lei/China Daily via MND

China pulled back the veil on the development of the twin-seat variant of its J-20 fifth-generation stealth fighter at the ongoing China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, offering a glimpse into the rapid development of Beijing’s defence aerospace capabilities.

In an announcement on 11 November, China’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) revealed state-owned conglomerate Aviation Industry Corp of China had “declassified” the twin-seat J-20 variant, dubbed the J-20S, the only two-seat fifth-generation fighter in the world.

The US operates the single seat F-35 and F-22 fifth generation stealth fighters, with a number of Western allies also operating the F-35 across the conventional take-off and landing A model, as well as the short-take-off, vertical landing B variant.

Aviation Industry Corp of China stated that the J-20S is “a heavy-duty radar-evading fighter jet with long-range operation and multifunction capabilities”, according to the MND, citing a report by the state-owned China Daily news outlet.

The addition of a second seat offers a range of options for China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), which currently operate the single seat J-20, to include providing an ability to control uncrewed ‘Loyal Wingman’ drones.

So far, the teaming of crewed and uncrewed combat aircraft is only at its early stages, with no Western fifth generation fighter able in the medium term to operate such a concept through a two-person crew.

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It is thought that the US is debating the future of the sixth generation NGAD (Next Generation Air Dominance) programme due to high costs, with one of its flagship features intended to be the ability to control and operate drone wingmen.

The J-20S appears to be an attempt to integrate such a capability into a fifth-generation design, adding a second crewmember to manage assets such as drones, sensors, and weapons, leaving the lead pilot to manoeuvre the aircraft.

J-20S: an evolution of China’s first stealth fighter

According to the MND the J-20S was designed by the AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute in Sichuan province based on its J-20 baseline, single-seat model, which is China’s first stealth combat aircraft.

The J-20 conducted its debut flight in January 2011 and was officially declassified in November 2016, when it staged a brief flight performance at the 11th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition.

It was commissioned to the PLAAF later that year, becoming the third stealth fighter jet in the world to enter service following the US’ F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.

The MND report cited Song Zhongping, a military affairs commentator and retired PLA officer, who said a twin-seat fighter jet is normally operated by a pilot in the front seat and a weapons operator in the rear seat, which means each of them can better focus on their specific tasks.

“According to an introduction from the AVIC, the J-20S has good situational awareness capability, and that means it can act as a small-sized early-warning platform. The new model can also guide drones to carry out strikes against targets. All these new functions promise longer detection and fighting range,” Zhongping said.

Fu Qianshao, an aircraft expert who served with the PLA Air Force for decades, said an extra seat in a stealth fighter has more benefits.

Another expert cited by the MND stated that having a separate weapons operator could enable the J-20S to better operate precision-guided munitions and connect with airborne early warning and control systems.

Stealth fighters central to China modernisation

China is embarking on a wide-ranging military modernisation effort to bring its forces up to parity with, and in some cases surpass, those of its main rival, the United States.

GlobalData’s latest report, “China Defense Market Size and Trends, Budget Allocation, Regulations, Key Acquisitions, Competitive Landscape and Forecast, 2022-27,” reveals that China’s defence expenditure for 2022 would amount to $225.6bn, a 7.3% increase on 2021, and reflects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.8% during 2018-2022.

Against this backdrop, China is expected to increase the defence budget at a CAGR of 7.2%, from $241.2bn in 2023 to $318.6bn in 2027, forecasted GlobalData.

The modernisation plans include the procurement of the J-20 Chengdu fifth-generation aircraft to provide critical air support. Work is still ongoing for the Shenyang J-31 programme, another indigenous fifth-generation fighter that follows upon the J-20.

China Officially Unveils The J-20S, The World’s First Two-Seat Stealth Fighter - The Aviationist

China Officially Unveils The J-20S, The World’s First Two-Seat Stealth Fighter

China Officially Unveils The J-20S, The World’s First Two-Seat Stealth Fighter

Published on: November 12, 2024 at 11:20 PM

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 Stefano D'Urso

The scale model of the J-20 unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow 2024. (Image credit: China Daily)

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After it first broke cover in 2021, the J-20S two-seat stealth fighter jet’s existence has now been officially confirmed and a scale model has also been put on display at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition.

Zhuhai Airshow 2024 is quickly becoming one of the most interesting editions of the event in the last few years. In fact, yet another aircraft has been officially unveiled after a long wait: the J-20S, the world’s first two-seat stealth fighter.

Contents

After it first broke cover in 2021, the J-20S two-seat stealth fighter jet’s existence has now been officially confirmed and a scale model has also been put on display at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition.The unveiling of the J-20SWhat we know about the J-20Two-seat stealth fighterNew air-to-air weapons

This aircraft is not really a novelty, as it first broke cover in late 2021 when it was spotted taxiing in primer paint at Chengdu Aerospace Corporation plant. The one displayed at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, however, is a scale model.

AVIC:

“J-20S Tandem Seater has Outstanding Situational Awareness, Electronic Jamming & Tactical Command n Control Capabilities”

“It also has Combat Coordination Capabilities for Manned/Unmanned Aircraft” pic.twitter.com/540002kVIr

— David Wang (@Nickatgreat1220) November 10, 2024

The unveiling of the J-20S

The unveiling of the aircraft at Zhuhai was announced by the Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China, mentioning that the aircraft’s existence has now been unclassified. According to Wu Jiwei, a spokesman for Aviation Industry Corp of China, the J-20S is a heavy-duty radar-evading fighter jet with long-range operation and multifunction capabilities.

“The new jet is characterized by its supreme ability to seize superiority in air combat, carry out precision strikes against land and sea targets, and perform battlefield situational awareness, electronic jamming and tactical command and control operations,” said the spokesman. He also added that, “in addition to conventional tasks, the J-20S can team up with unmanned planes in air combat.”

歼-20S作为全球唯一一款双座隐身战斗机，它的出现更大的意义是中国在先进战机方面的发展，已经从追赶变成了创新！ pic.twitter.com/qFmKm4cN23

— DS北风（风哥） (@WenJian0922) November 10, 2024

“According to an introduction from the AVIC, the J-20S has good situational awareness capability, and that means it can act as a small-sized early-warning platform,” added Song Zhongping, a military affairs commentator mentioned in the press release. “The new model can also guide drones to carry out strikes against targets. All these new functions promise longer detection and fighting range.”

The press release mentions that the baseline J-20, upon which the J-20S is based, first flew in Jan. 2011 and was officially declassified in Nov. 2016 at the Zhuhai Airshow, shortly before being commissioned into service. The J-20S might follow a similar path, although there are only indications about the prototypes so far and none of them is in Zhuhai.

A screenshot from the first video leaked online of the two-seater J-20 in 2021. (Image credit: Chinese Internet via @Rupprecht_A)What we know about the J-20

The development of the J-20S has been first rumored in 2018, with the first sighting in Oct. 2021 coinciding with the taxi tests, followed by the first flight in the following month. A total of four prototypes have been reportedly built, with the last two spotted for the first time this year.

Wow 😲 ... I totally missed, that after the three confirmed J-20S (J-20AS/J-20B ??) twin-seater - known are the numbers 2031, 2032 & 2033 - Huitong has updated his site with a fourth one numbered 2036!

And usually, there should be a no. 2035 too.

(Image via Huitong's CMA-Blog) pic.twitter.com/mgjCH9FV1o

— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) November 8, 2024

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Since the beginning, it was speculated that J-20S could be a multirole stealth fighter intended for ground attack or Electronic Warfare (EW) missions. Interestingly, among the rumors was also the possibility to serve as an airborne command & control asset inside a larger formation of manned and unmanned aircraft, possibly working in some sort of Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) concept.

Even now that it has been unveiled, few data are available about the new aircraft, as it appears shrouded in secrecy and even Chinese military aviation researchers have little info about it. The aircraft are now believed to be undergoing testing at the Central Flight Test Establishment (CFTE).

Two-seat stealth fighter

The Ministry of National Defense highlighted that the J-20 is the third stealth fighter jet in the world to enter service, following the United States’ F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. However, these 5th generation aircraft exist only in the single-seat version.

Thus, when it first broke cover, the new two-seater J-20S variant became the world’s first two-seat stealth fighter. The J-20 is going to give China several interesting opportunities. The first and most obvious one is that they will have a dual seat version of their frontline fighter that can be used to train the pilots destined to the J-20 fleet.

歼-20四机编队飞行表演！ pic.twitter.com/rqtHWRybOP

— DS北风（风哥） (@WenJian0922) November 10, 2024

What’s far more important, however, is that the additional crew member can perform tasks like operating some of the on-board sensors or managing a loyal wingman: the proliferation of displays and information coming from multiple sources clashes with the limited cognitive and processing capacity of a human being.

Another person on board would help avoiding pilot’s task saturation, applying more efficiently the crew resource management (CRM). Having only a single pilot to manage MUM-T operations, act as an airborne command & control post and perform an assigned mission set is simply unthinkable.

Moreover, in this case we are talking about a LO (Low Observable) aircraft expected to operate inside contested airspace, which would add even more workload to the crew. With a pilot in the front and a weapon systems officer (WSO) in the back the problem is quickly solved.

A J-20 captured flying on Aug. 27, 2022. (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)

New air-to-air weapons

The J-20S model was displayed beside a model of the J-35A, and both were accompanied by full size mock-ups of the PL-10E and PL-15E air-to-air missiles. The latter is the most interesting in this case, as it has been optimized for carriage inside weapons bays.

看看PL-15E的折叠弹翼 pic.twitter.com/fGFj82zNpM

— DS北风（风哥） (@WenJian0922) November 10, 2024

In fact, the PL-15E ARH (active radar homing) missile, compared to the previous PL-15, has been equipped with folding rear fins, as well as narrowed forward fins. The rear fins are hinged to fold at mid-length, and then are deployed once the missile is launched.

The redesigned weapon, which was previously presented as an export variant of the standard PL-15, allows to increase the internal carriage capability of the J-20 to the current four missiles to six. According to some reports, the J-35 could have the same carriage capability.

The PL-15 is China’s standard ARH AAM, designed as a Chinese equivalent of the U.S. AIM-120D AMRAAM, and equipped with a two-way datalink and AESA (active electronically scanned array) seeker. It is being reported that the weapon is powered by a dual-pulse rocket motor that provides a range of around 150 miles.

[백선호]

1993년 8월호 Flug Revue에 나왔다는 F-22 복좌형입니다.

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/f-22-and-f-35-double-seaters.6857/#post-58575

[위종민]

복좌형을 만들었다면 FB-22같은 전투폭격기 모델이었겠네요. 결국은 그런 일은 F-15E에 맡겨버렸고..

[백선호]

그리고 2000년 7월 10일 AW&ST에 나온 F-35 복좌 재머인데 EF-111A처럼 재밍 빔이 옆으로 나가게 안테나를 달았습니다.

[위종민]

왜 안 만들었을까 생각해봤는데. 어차피 재밍 빔을 뿜뿜해야 하는 전자전기에 굳이 스텔스기를 쓸 필요는 적을 것 같기도 하네요.