A Chinese aerospace manufacturer on the weekend released high-resolution images of what could be China’s second stealth fighter.
For months, Shenyang Aircraft Corp (SAC), one of China’s principal aerospace firms, has been rumored to be working on the prototype of a stealth aircraft known as the J-21 “Snowy Owl.” This first came to the attention of defense analysts after a video surfaced in late June showing an aircraft fuselage covered in camouflage tarp being transported on a highway from SAC to a People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) test center at Xian-Yanliang Airbase in Shaanxi Province, Defense News reported at the time.
Although experts cautioned that the video and images in June could have been part of a disinformation campaign, the crisp images of the dark-gray prototype serial “001,” posted on China Defense Blog on Saturday, appeared to provide confirmation that rival Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corp, which unveiled its J-20 less than two years ago, was no longer the sole player in China’s efforts to develop stealth aircraft. To date, two J-20 models have emerged and it is believed that the aircraft, which has encountered various delays mainly due to China’s engine technology “bottleneck,” will not be deployed before 2017 to 2019.
So far, there has been no confirmation that the covered fuselage seen in June and the prototype that emerged at the weekend are the same aircraft.
Defense experts remain divided on whether the J-20 and J-21, which outwardly have a similar appearance, with two engines, two tails and radar-evading design, would serve similar functions. However, preliminary image comparisons indicate that the J-21 is smaller than the J-20.
Some military analysts say that the PLAAF has been seeking more than one type of stealth aircraft, including a strike fighter and another serving as an air superiority fighter.
There has also been speculation that the J-21, which is sometimes referred to as the J-31, could serve as a carrier-based stealth complement to the non-stealthy J-15 “Flying Shark,” or as an export model, known as the F-60, to compete against Lockheed Martin Corp’s F-35.
Writing in Wired yesterday, defense analyst David Axe said that the emergence of the new prototype did not immediately imply that both the J-20 and J-21 will go through the development, testing and full-scale production phases. The US Air Force stealth program, he wrote, gave rise to no less than four stealth fighter prototypes in the 1980s, of which only two — the F-22 and F-35 — were eventually adopted, following billions of dollars of investment.
It is not unusual for China to play one defense program against another as a means to increase competition and encourage innovation. Despite the huge costs involved, a now richer Chinese military could also be more inclined to fund two or more stealth programs if the aircraft are intended to serve different purposes.
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
US President Donald Trump on Friday said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) told him China would not invade Taiwan while Trump is in office. Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News, ahead of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “I will tell you, you know, you have a very similar thing with President Xi of China and Taiwan, but I don’t believe there’s any way it’s going to happen as long as I’m here. We’ll see,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News’ Special Report. “He told me: ‘I will never do