The second prototype of the Chengdu J-20 fifth generation stealth fighter, coded 2002, could soon fly along the first one, coded 2001, that has been involved in the testing activities since Jan. 11, 2011.
The following video, filmed on May 1, 2012, shows the aircraft performing the typical ground engine tests that usually precede the first flight.
Once again footage of the J-20 was uploaded on Youtube minutes after it was filmed, showing China’s willingness to announce Beijing’s military developments to project an image of strength to the rest of the world.
New images of the Chengdu J-20 fifth generation stealth fighter often appear on the Chinese Internet.
Those published in this post were taken in the last few days at Chengdu airport and uploaded on one of the most interesting Chinese military forums.
It looks like a new prototype (fourth, based on the 2004 code of an image someone thinks may have been photoshopped…) could soon fly along the first one, coded 2001, that has been involved in the testing activities since Jan. 11, 2011.
Here’s the image allegedly showing the J-20 coded 2004.
Hard to say whether it is a fake or not. However, what can be said is that, unless it was given a new color scheme and markings, a new J-20 may really be ready for flight.
Image below shows a partially hidden plane (above), whose star on the tail appears on a slightly different position (a bit higher) than that seen on the prototype coded 2001 seen so far (below).
The following picture shows the new prototype from another perspective. The code can’t be seen though.
Each time I’ve published an article about the J-20, as the recent one to comment a test flight video, I’ve always received many emails and comments from readers asking if China’s 5th generation combat plane will pose a real threat to the next generation of U.S. stealthy fighters.
As I’ve already explained in several articles, the real problem for the U.S. with the J-20 is not with the aircraft’s stealthiness, performance, top speed, turn rate equipment and capabilities; the problem is that China will probably build thousands of them.
This means that I believe the American technology will still be ahead of the Chinese one for several decades (if not “ages”) – even if not always quality is better than quantity.
Anyway, I’ve asked Al Clark to create a funny demotivational poster showing a flight of two Lockheed Martin 6th generation stealth fighters (probably made of morphing metals and flight surfaces featuring some Star Wars-like equipment – that I fictionally dubbed F-39) intercepting with success several Chinese J-20s, in a hyphotetical future air defense scenario.
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