It's been quite a busy few months since the Zhuhai airshow in November for Chinese military aviation watchers. China's largest airshow three months ago revealed the first glimpses of the Pterodactyl unmanned air vehicle (UAV), the TL-8 decoy and ... whatever this thing is. And who can forget our first glimpse of China's version of the Global Hawk nearly four years ago? But those were just the opening acts. One month later, we saw for the first time the Chengdu J-20, arguably the most significant accomplishment by China's aviation industry to date.
Don't expect the J-20 to be the last surprise by the Chinese this year. The inter-webs are abuzz with speculation on a host of secret Chinese aviation projects. Following the lead of the J-20, China has previewed several active programs by allowing brief glimpses to leak through the Internet censors. We've seen glimpses of plans for a new manned bomber to replace the 1950s-era H-6, a Shenyang challenger to the J-20 for China's stealth fighter requirement, a close facsimile of the Boeing C-17 strategic transport and -- most improbably -- a long-range, penetrating, unmanned stealth bomber.
What do you think we'll next see rolling down the runway J-20-style, with grainy photos and shaky video leaked out by the Chinese spotters?
Don't expect the J-20 to be the last surprise by the Chinese this year. The inter-webs are abuzz with speculation on a host of secret Chinese aviation projects. Following the lead of the J-20, China has previewed several active programs by allowing brief glimpses to leak through the Internet censors. We've seen glimpses of plans for a new manned bomber to replace the 1950s-era H-6, a Shenyang challenger to the J-20 for China's stealth fighter requirement, a close facsimile of the Boeing C-17 strategic transport and -- most improbably -- a long-range, penetrating, unmanned stealth bomber.
What do you think we'll next see rolling down the runway J-20-style, with grainy photos and shaky video leaked out by the Chinese spotters?
Recent Comments