FC-31 / J-31 / F-60

[Ayoshi]

airforce-technology.com

The Shenyang J-31 (F-60) is a fifth-generation, multi-role, twin-engine stealth fighter aircraft being manufactured for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, an affiliate of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). It is the second stealth fighter that China has indigenously developed after the J-20.

The J-31 fighter jet is intended to provide advanced defence capabilities in close-air support, aerial bombing and air interdiction operations. It can also perform suppression of enemy air defences and can be used as a carrier-based fighter on aircraft carriers. Initial operational capability of the aircraft is expected in 2020.

The J-31 prototype (31001) performed its maiden flight on 31 October 2012. A model of the aircraft was exhibited at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (Airshow China) held in Zhuhai in November 2012. The J-31 prototype made a test flight during the Zhuhai Air Show in November 2014.

< snipped >

J-31 aircraft design and features

The medium-sized Shenyang J-31 stealth fighter aircraft features diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI) design with bumps and forward-swept inlet cowls. The airframe incorporates a pair of low-aspect ratio trapezoidal planform wings with titanium spars. Each wing has a sweep of 35° and the stealthy design offers reduced radar cross-section (RCS).

The chined fuselage of the J-31 incorporates a pair of tailplanes. The rear edge of the fuselage is hinged with two vertical stabilisers. A rudder is installed on each stabiliser to control the aircraft's movement. The aircraft is fitted with a tricycle landing gear. The nose landing gear consists of double wheels, while the main landing gear has a 'dogleg' structure.

The fighter jet has a length of 16.9m, height of about 4.8m, and a wing span of 11.5m. The empty weight is about 17t and the maximum take-off weight is 25t. The aircraft can carry out missions at medium and low-altitudes.

[Ayoshi]

F-60 Display at Zhuhai 2012
A large display model of the J-31, under its export designation "F-60", is exhibited at the Zhuhai 2012 Air Show. Shenyang Aviation Corporation's display of the F-60 suggests Chinese ambition to sell a 5th generation competitor to the F-35 for stealth fighter exports.
Photo: popsci.com

New Chinese Fifth-Generation Fighter Revealed | ainonline.com


The latest Chinese combat aircraft to be revealed has a similar configuration to the Lockheed Martin F-35A/C.

=====

Avic Promotes J-31 As An Export Fighter | aviationweek.com - Nov 19, 2012

Conversely, because the J-31 was exhibited at Zhuhai and is promoted as an export product, the Chinese air force obviously does not want it. Early production of a fighter intended for Chinese service would be reserved for the air force, as has been Chengdu's J-10, the current Chinese medium-weight fighter.

Why, then, has Shenyang developed it? There are a few possibilities. It could be a technology demonstrator funded by the military, one that the company's management thinks has good potential for full development as an operational fighter.

Alternatively, it could be an internally funded program for the export market, as the company seems to suggest, encouraged by the knowledge that not all countries have access to Western fighters. The J-31 would mainly be a competitor to Russian fighters—though Shenyang might also be calculating that buyers of Western equipment will want more choice as some U.S. and European types go out of production over the next decade or two. Importantly, the Chinese fighter should be cheap, as the JF-17 is, while offering at least the prestige of stealth technology.

[Ayoshi]

More photos from popsci.com

Chinese 5th Generation Fighter Jet - J31 Performs More Flight Test


-


=====

Zhuhai Airshow: Chinese Stealth Fighter J-31

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLQEtRxflEU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLhiFqQLQhg

[Ayoshi]

Second Version of FC-31 Gyrfalcon Fifth-Generation Fighter Spotted during Maiden Flight in China | Air Recognition - 23 December 2016

Based on Chinese spotters pictures, the second version of the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) FC-31 'Gyrfalcon' twin-engine, fifth-generation fighter conducted its first flighttoday in Chengdu, Sichuan province. The FC-31 first prototype made its first flight on Oct. 2012, and its first public appearance during the Zhuhai Air Show in Nov. 2014. This second version features several design improvements such as swept-back vertical stabilizers.

First flight of the second variant of the Shenyang FC-31 fifth-generation export fighter

[adroth]

https://news.usni.org/6b-j31

Shenyang J-31 which was unveiled in late 2014.

[Ayoshi]

China’s fighter jet FC-31 to be deployed on its future aircraft carriers | Navy Recognition - 03 January2019 09:48

To respond to the US-made fourth generation fighter jets F-35B and F-35C, capable of operating from aircraft carriers, China has decided to upgrade its Shenyang FC-31 medium-sized fighter jets to operate from aircraft carriers too.

China’s third aircraft carrier that is under construction, expected to be armed with an electromagnetic catapult, is also expected to use stealth fighter jets. The observers say that these jets may certainly be a modified version of the FC-31.

FC-31 at Airshow China 2014 in Zhuhai (Picture source : Navy Recognition)

[Ayoshi]

China FC-31 multi-role aircraft continues its development | Air Recognition - 19 July 2019 16:34

His remarks are likely to reassure anyone concerned about the fate of FC-31 because of its virtual disappearance from public view over the past two years. The twin-engine, radar-evading fighter jet was unveiled in October 2012 when a prototype made its maiden flight, becoming China's second 5th-generation fighter jet, following the J-20.

The FC-31 has a high survivability rate, a low radar signature, advanced electronic countermeasures, strong information gathering and handling capacity, outstanding situational awareness and beyond-visual-range combat capability. In addition to air combat, it can also carry out strikes against land and sea targets, according to its designers.

The aircraft has a large weapons bay and can carry multiple external missiles. According to AVIC specifications, the FC-31 has a maximum takeoff weight of 25 metric tons, a combat range of 1,200 kilometers and a top speed of Mach 1.8, or 2,205 kilometers per hour. It can carry 8 tons of weapons and has a designed life span of up to 30 years. The FC-31 will enter service in the PLA as the Shenyang institute and Shenyang Aircraft Corp's latest major accomplishment, following the J-15 carrier-based fighter jet and the half-century-old J-8 series fighter jet.