Elements of both aircraft can be seen in the FC-1 (JF-17 in Pakistan), with the F-16’s nose and tail joined by a distinctly MiG-21 wing design. Thanks to China’s access to F-16 design specs through Israel’s “Lavi” program, that joint venture resulted in an amalgamation of F-16 and Mig-21 characteristics, creating an aircraft that some contend is greater than the sum of its parts.
In the years since, that J-7 became the basis for a new joint venture with Pakistan that aimed to field a new fighter that could compete with a different MiG-the newer Soviet MiG-29. In the 1960s, China purchased production plans for the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, which was modified and updated into China’s J-7 platform. New carriers under development promise to offer an electromagnetic catapult similar to those used on America’s new Ford class carriers, but the J-15 may not live to see service on such a ship.Ĭhina’s love affair with Russian fighters doesn’t only include Sukhoi designs. China’s dated Liaoning carrier’s inferior catapult and ramp system to launch fighters severely limits the maximum operational weight of the J-15, reducing the total ordnance it can take into fight. With a faster top speed, greater maximum G-load, and slightly higher operational ceiling, China has been happy to contend that a dog fight between the two jets would undoubtedly result in a Chinese victory īut the J-15 is severely hindered by its launch apparatus.
Technically speaking, the J-15 could be considered the superior fighter to America’s long serving (and fastest) intercept fighter, the F-15-at least on paper. The result is a carrier-based fighter that shares the Su-33’s folding wing design and overall appearance coupled with a few Chinese improvements like incorporating more composite materials to reduce overall weight. When the Soviets refused to part with their Su-33 design secrets, China purchased an Su-33 prototype aircraft from Ukraine, dubbed the T-10K-3, and quickly set about reverse engineering it. He regularly writes about military small arms, and is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on ’s J-15 serves as their primary carrier based aircraft, and if China had gotten their way, it would have been produced originally by simply purchasing the production line for the Su-33 (which is Russia’s carrier-capable version of the Su-27). Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. “It’s just not going to be the right tool for the job, especially when we’re talking about defending our friends like Taiwan and Japan and the Philippines against a Chinese threat that grows and grows,” Hinote told reporters in May. He had said that the Air Force would use the current fleet of F-22s as a “bridge” until the NGAD is up and running. Clinton Hinote noted that the development of the F-22 Raptor began in the early 1990s, and that the platform would be almost four decades old, and possibly outdated, by the time it is finally retired in the 2030s. It has been noted that the contract for modernization will be completed just as the NGAD is set to enter service, which is why some have suggested that the program be ended sooner.Įarlier this year, U.S. The ARES indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract will also cover a five-year base ordering period and a five-year option period. This would include the Air Force’s procurement of modernization hardware kits along with systems upgrade, repair and logistics support service through the Advanced Raptor Enhancement & Sustainment (ARES) program.
F 22 RAPTOR RC PLANE PLANS UPDATE
To that end, Lockheed Martin has received a potential 10-year, $10.86 billion contract to update and maintain the Air Force’s fleet of F-22s.
That was arguably a shortsighted decision given the capabilities of the aircraft – yet even as there are now those who would like to see the remaining aircraft retired sooner than later, the Raptor will likely remain operational until the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter enters service in the 2030s. However, the program was cut short by former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to just 187 operational aircraft. The United States Air Force had originally planned to purchase 750 Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors, the twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft.
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