New Chinese fighter jet expected by 2018: U.S. intelligence

**xizhimen** · 21 May 10,, 05:02

New Chinese fighter jet expected by 2018: U.S. intelligence
Reuters

By Jim Wolf Jim Wolf – 1 hr 7 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China is building an advanced combat jet that may rival within eight years Lockheed Martin Corp's F-22 Raptor, the premier U.S. fighter, a U.S. intelligence official said.

The date cited for the expected deployment is years ahead of previous Pentagon public forecasts and may be a sign that China's rapid military buildup is topping many experts' expectations.

"We're anticipating China to have a fifth-generation fighter ... operational right around 2018," Wayne Ulman of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center testified on Thursday to a congressionally mandated group that studies national security implications of U.S.-China economic ties.

I do remember i saw a "Fifth-generation" model fighter in the Chinese National Air and Space Museum last month.

**mister unknown** · 21 May 10,, 08:55

I often read (from US sources) that PLA technological advances are "ahead of projections". I wonder where these particular projections came from.

I.e. in the case of the PLA's 5th gen fighter program, I remember previous estimates suggesting IOC around 2015. Now the official estimate is 2018. Of course this is just a figure I am recalling...

Anyway, this certainly does not suggest "moving ahead of projections"...

**Chogy** · 21 May 10,, 13:40

Then they'd better compress 30+ years of Western engine technology into the project in the projected time-span. It is well known that the Chinese are lagging in that area.

**kyli** · 21 May 10,, 20:01

If the Chinese are willing to sacrifice duration for performance, it could be done.

**gunnut** · 21 May 10,, 22:38

Advanced Chinese fighter jet is like a game made by Blizzard...I'll believe it when I see it.

**Skywatcher** · 22 May 10,, 00:53

Originally Posted by gunnut

Advanced Chinese fighter jet is like a game made by Blizzard...I'll believe it when I see it.

Well, I hope the shareholder's sake their production teams both live up to the marketing claims.

Anyways, for the engine issue, if the Chinese radar technology can evolve from where it was at the end of the Cold War to what it is today, a 10:1 T/W ratio engine shouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.

**xinhui** · 12 Jan 11,, 00:18

bump

**cr9527** · 12 Jan 11,, 00:32

Originally Posted by Skywatcher

Well, I hope the shareholder's sake their production teams both live up to the marketing claims.

Anyways, for the engine issue, if the Chinese radar technology can evolve from where it was at the end of the Cold War to what it is today, a 10:1 T/W ratio engine shouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.

Not even the F119 can pull a 10:1 T/W ratio, although F135 seem to be capable of it.

I highly doubt the Chinese can make an engine of 10:1 yet, at least not one that can reliably perform at those rates.

**Jimmy** · 12 Jan 11,, 06:14

Originally Posted by gunnut

Advanced Chinese fighter jet is like a game made by Blizzard...I'll believe it when I see it.

You've never heard of WoW?

**Stitch** · 12 Jan 11,, 06:52

Originally Posted by gunnut

Advanced Chinese fighter jet is like a game made by Blizzard...I'll believe it when I see it.

Hey, now! Diablo II was a GREAT game!

**kuku** · 12 Jan 11,, 07:25

Blizzard, i say it would have been more appropriate to talk of the duke nuke 'em forever, those basterds i waited so long for that game, a treacherous ploy to play with game geeks emotions....

**gunnut** · 13 Jan 11,, 20:24

Originally Posted by kuku

Blizzard, i say it would have been more appropriate to talk of the duke nuke 'em forever, those basterds i waited so long for that game, a treacherous ploy to play with game geeks emotions....

StarCraft: Ghost ring a bell?

How long was the delay for Diablo II?

Where's Diablo III?

Duke Nukem Forever is like the big foot of video games. People claimed to have seen it or heard news about it, but no one knows where it is.

**FJV** · 13 Jan 11,, 20:42

In my opinion the mother of all delays is still for Elite IV (a new version of Elite / Frontier).

**nutter** · 18 Jan 11,, 06:01

Don't underestimate the chinese.

They're growing in leaps and bounds at the moment, are flush with cash (the US sure isn't) and are the world leaders in reverse engineering.

They have a population of 2 (?) billion plus, and even if only 1% of them are anywhere near as clever as good US engineers/scientists, that is still say 20 million of them.

Once they start coming into the 21st century, their pace is going to be astonishing. I believe it has started.... look at any of the more advanced electronic stuff in your house purchased in the past 5 years, and a large portion of it is made in china.

**Jimmy** · 18 Jan 11,, 06:05

And none of it is the kind of cutting edge metallurgy we're talking about. You can't reverse engineer everything. There's a clear stepping stone path to certain sciences.

There's a big difference between underestimating China and being realistic.