6th generation Chinese aircraft

chiny24.com 7 hours ago

On 26 December 2024, the aviation planet revolved sensational pictures and videos of the flight presentation of 2 fresh Chinese military aircraft built in stealth technology (i.e. reduced radar detection). They took place over aircraft betting in Chengdu and Shenyang. fresh aircraft were accompanied by another Chinese military machines in the air. In the case of a Chengdu plane, it was a J-20S fighter. In turn, the Shenyang device was accompanied by a J-16 fighter. The J-20S and J-16 aircraft served not only as an assist in the air, but were surely besides to present the size of fresh machines – they were a mention point for their gabarites.

Shortly before the aircraft was presented, a Christmas card with wishes appeared on the net from PLAAF (Sil of the Air People's Liberation Army) and date 2024.12.26. The image showed the silhouettes of both machines composed in the form of a Christmas tree and the letters ‘C’ and ‘S’ along with the word ‘SIX’ marked in yellow in the conviction MERRY CHRISTMASIX (referring to popular Christmas wishes in English: Merry Christmass). The letter ‘C’ referred to Chengdu, the letter ‘S’ to Shenyang, and the word ‘SIX’ to the sixth generation.

Chengdu Machine

The aircraft presented looked like a large machine, with a dimension akin to the J-20S fighter, but much larger width (wing span). The released chassis (a characteristic feature for first-flight aircraft), consisting of double front shin wheels and alleged tandem wheels on the main shins, demonstrated that it was a dense machine, most likely with a runway mass exceeding 40 tonnes. She had an highly interesting look on the airframe in the form of a wedge (or diamond) with delta wings and a strategy of 3 engines, 2 of which had subwing air intakes. In turn, the air inlet into the central engine was on its back. The aircraft was stripped of any vertical ballasts and vertical steering surfaces. On the ends of both wings there were horizontal rudders (presumably besides a kind of aerodynamic brakes). On the side of the machine, under its cabin, the number 36011 from which the aircraft took its later code name: J-36. Additionally, on both sides close the beak, trained surfaces were visible, most likely bays for the electrooptic targeting strategy (EOTS). Next to them are matted surfaces that can be antennas of additional phase scan radars (AESA). If this were so fatal, it would mean that the aircraft has 3 radiolocators: 1 typically placed in the beak, and 2 at its sides. This would give the device extraordinary radio reflection capabilities, almost like the AWACS class early informing aircraft. Alternatively, they may be antennas of another apparatus, e.g. for electronic recognition. 3 weapon chambers were visible from the bottom of the machine: the main 1 placed centrally and 2 smaller on its sides.

The size of the main chamber was estimated by aviation specialists at about 7.5 metres and could so accommodate in its interior air-to-air missiles PL-17 with a scope exceeding 300 km. There were no gaps between the wings and the steering surfaces, suggesting that they could be covered with any kind of flexible masking shell. Based on the available photos, it was hard to measure whether the device had 1 pilot or two. If two, what kind of arrangement are they in: side by side, or possibly 1 by side?

Photo J-36 of 26.12.2024:

Machine from Shenyang

The presentation in flight of the fresh fighter from the aircraft mill in Shenyang was a bit more modest than in the J-36 aircraft. You could see that the plane was about the size of the J-16 (both in dimension and wingspan). The extended chassis of the main shins with single wheels suggested that its starting mass was besides akin to that of the J-16 aircraft (i.e. about 30-35 tonnes). However, the fresh machine, like the Chengdu aircraft, had no vertical ballasts and vertical steering surfaces.

The aircraft was two-engined and its wings were lambda-type. More could not be determined on the basis of the available materials, as they were out of focus and alternatively mediocre quality. It was besides uncertain whether it was a manned aircraft, as the pilot's compartment was not visible. The aircraft had no numbers (or markings), hence it was named: SHENGAD – from the selected letters from the phrase: Shenyang Next Generation Air Dominance (which suggests that it is simply a fresh generation of aircraft).

Since the presentation of fresh Chinese aircraft has caused large interest in them in the manufacture environment, CGI graphics generated by aviation enthusiasts have begun to appear on the Internet, presenting machines along with suggestions on the method solutions used. It should be admitted that any looked very reasonable, like the following, on which the J-36 aircraft has a compartment with 2 pilots seated next to each another (as in the American F-111, or Russian Su-34 fighter-bomb machine).

Over time, fresh visual materials with Chinese aircraft began to flow, showing more and more details, especially for SHENGAD:

January 2025. View the device from Shenyang from the rear while approaching landing. What is conspicuous is the double wheels on the shins of the front chassis.

March 2025. Photographs of J-36 aircraft from front and side, on which dorsal air intake is well visible

April 2025.

(a) Test fuel discharge in flight J-36.

(b) J-36 in flight with a complex chassis. You can besides see working jet engines.

d) SHENGAD device in flight. The clearly visible glazing of the compartment shows that the aircraft is manned (has a pilot).

d) SHENGAD device in flight. A well visible glazing of the compartment showing that the aircraft is manned (has a pilot). e) SHENGAD. A photograph of very good quality, on which you can see many method details of the machine, e.g. the EOTS strategy placed under its beak, 2 weapons chambers, moving wing-tips, exit nozzles of motors in the form of triangles.

f ) J-36 starting from Chengdu Airport.

May 2025.
a) SHENGAD aircraft in flight. Well-distinguished wing tips.

(b) The material from the Chinese paper in which the SHENGAD aircraft is presented under the code name: J-50. Dimensions of both fresh Chinese machines are besides revealed (J-50: dimension 21.2 meters, width 18 meters, tallness 2.2 meters. J-36: dimension 24 meters, width 21 meters, tallness 2.9 meters) together with the weapons that will be able to carry (air-to-air missiles: PL-10, PL-15, PL-17, air-to-ground missiles AKF-98, and in the case of J-36 air-to-water 2PZD-21).

June 2025.

Photo of J-36 aircraft taken on the airport plate. Perfectly visible dorsal air intake to the central engine and details of the pilot cabin. This photograph, despite deficiency of focus, is simply a clear evidence that the device has 2 pilots seated next to each other. In addition, each of them has its own HUD (English shorthand: Head-Up Display).

Conclusion:

There is now much more known about the next generation of Chinese aircraft than on their premiere. However, this does not change the fact that many things are inactive unclear.

While it can be assumed with almost 100% certainty that the J-50 aircraft is to act as a future air advantage fighter, the intent of the Chengdu device is inactive a mystery.

This aircraft seems besides large and dense for a "racial" fighter. Its dimensions propose that it is alternatively a fighter-bomb aircraft, akin conceptually to an American F-111, or Russian Su-34 aircraft.

Using the stealth technology in which it is made, it could be utilized to carry out hidden attacks on ground/water targets, as well as to fire at large distances of delicate air targets of the opponent, specified as AWACS early-warning aircraft, SIGINT class reconnaissance aircraft, classical bombers (B-52, B-1B), or air tankers (KC-135). Air strikes could be carried out utilizing radar-driven long-range air-to-air missiles PL-17 (more than 300 km) or recently designed PL-21. This would leave him insensitive to countering enemy fighters, usually escorting specified targets.

To propose this seems to be a graphic published on the Chinese Internet:

In turn, attacks on surface targets could be carried out utilizing a wide scope of fresh Chinese weapons, specified as 2PZD-21 hypersonic missiles, or YJ-6 glider bombs, or even tactical atomic weapons.

It is unknown that both aircraft are driven. We can only guess if these are fresh Chinese jet engines WS-15... possibly older but tested WS-10 (from russian Saturn AL-31 engines)?

Looking at the last pictures of the J-50 aircraft, it shows that it has triangular exhaust nozzles of engines suggesting that these could be completely fresh structures. Certainly, however, they are jet engines with 2D thrust vectoring.

Taihang 2D engine model presented by AECC during Zhuhai Airshow 2022.

The J-50 aircraft, in addition to classical wing mechanization elements specified as: slots (gills), flaps and darts, has an highly interesting and innovative solution – moving wing tips (from English: wing-tips). It is easy to figure out that they aid the device to accomplish stableness in flight (due to the deficiency of vertical ballasts and classical direction steering wheel), and besides have a fundamental impact on its maneuverability. This, combined with thrust vectoring engines, makes it possible to anticipate an extraordinary maneuverability, giving J-50 an advantage over enemy fighters in a near-distance air combat (so-called dogfight).

The question of the specificity of the 6th generation of these aircraft, suggested by the Chinese themselves, is besides to be resolved. At the moment, this is very hard to determine.

Perhaps the deficiency of vertical ballasts is affected. As a result, both aircraft have lower aerodynamic opposition in flight, which translates in favour of reducing fuel consumption by engines, causing them to importantly increase the scope of flight of machines and to keep advanced flight velocity (such as supercruise – a sustained flight at supersonic speed, without having to usage boosters). Of course, this besides has a crucial impact on stealth technology, that is, the ability to operate the device without fear of detection by enemy radars.

Regardless, the Chinese engineers active in both projects should be commended, as the already constructed machines without classical direction controls are very difficult. This is demonstrated by the tiny number of aircraft that have so far formed in this system.

Two are mostly known:

German aircraft Ho 229 Horten brothers (constructed from WŚ II times).
American strategical bomber B-2 Spirit.

Graphics with J-50 plane throws:

On the Chinese marketplace (and besides in online sales), J-36 aircraft simplification models (scale 1:144) and J-50/SHENGAD (scale 1:72) are already available for aviation collectors and enthusiasts.