Recently, there has been a news about China's sixth-generation fighter that has attracted attention at home and abroad.
Hong Kong's South China Morning Post and other media outlets reported that China was testing a "jet that the world has never seen before." This aircraft not only adopts an advanced wing-body fusion design, but also has an amazing "mid-flight" ability.
So what impact will its appearance have on the future military landscape?
The mystery is revealed
In fact, this is not the first time that the official has revealed the progress of the development of the sixth-generation aircraft.
In October 2017, CCTV revealed that China's sixth-generation fighter research and development has begun, and Yang Wei, the chief designer of the J-20, said that the sixth-generation aircraft "will be difficult to imagine in science fiction movies."
In 2019, Wang Haifeng, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief designer of the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute of the Aviation Industry, hinted that the research and development of the sixth-generation aircraft had begun long ago.
And he revealed that the sixth-generation fighter will be a highly diverse, all-weather air superiority fighter, and the combat effectiveness will be as much as five times that of the J-20.
In 2022, when CCTV interviewed the J-20 test pilot, the test pilot said: "With the continuous improvement of the technical level of our country's aviation industry, we will 'definitely have soon' the next generation (that is, the sixth generation fighter) to come out." "
Although this information is relatively scattered, it has outlined the basic outline of China's sixth-generation aircraft research and development.
The newly disclosed "aerial deformation" technology has undoubtedly added a strong touch to this blueprint.
A warplane of the future that transforms in the air
According to the South China Morning Post, the sixth-generation prototype is being tested and has the following features:
1. Wing-body fusion design: The highly stealthy swept delta wing is adopted, and the overall shape is full of sci-fi feeling.
2. Aerial deformation ability: The wings on both sides of the aircraft will release small stealth designed drones in the air. And these small drones were originally part of the wings.
3. Adaptive flight control: After the small drone is separated, the wing area and shape of the main engine have changed as a whole, but the aircraft can still quickly return to a stable flight state.
4. Parent-child integration: In the state that the small drone has not been separated, the unmanned drone has become a part of the main wing of the parent aircraft, which does not affect the aerodynamic performance and can also provide some additional lift.
5. Variable airfoil: After the parent and child aircraft are separated, the shape of the main wing changes from a delta wing to a herringbone wing (a combination of a diamond-shaped wing and a swept wing).
This design concept can be described as original.
Because it no longer treats the parent and child machines as two separate systems, but merges them organically from the very beginning. This "transformer" design is undoubtedly the most groundbreaking technological breakthrough and innovation in the field of military aviation.
The core advantages of the sixth-generation aircraft
What are the advantages of this design idea of China's sixth-generation aircraft compared with the traditional sub-mother machine scheme?
This stems from the fact that it breaks through the limitations of traditional mother-child machines.
There are two major problems with traditional mother-child solutions (such as those tried by the Soviet Union and the United States in the 30s and 40s of the last century):
The carrier will have a significant impact on the performance of the parent aircraft (e.g., maximum ceiling, speed, range, and maneuverability), and it is easy to separate in the air, but it is extremely difficult and dangerous to re-dock.
The Chinese design cleverly solves these problems, not only solving the problems of traditional sub-machine solutions, but also bringing significant tactical advantages:
In the undetached state, the sub-machine is no longer a "burden", but provides additional lift to the parent machine, and can flexibly choose the timing of separation according to the needs of the task.
The separated UAV can perform a variety of tasks such as reconnaissance, strike, electronic jamming, etc., greatly expanding the combat radius and combat mode
This highly integrated mother-child aircraft design will greatly enhance the flexibility and diversity of future air combat.
The multi-functional cooperative combat capability of the sub-mother aircraft should not be underestimated, and this design provides a variety of tactical possibilities for future air combat:
- Long-range strikes: The parent aircraft can carry the daughter aircraft deep behind enemy lines, greatly expanding the combat radius.
- Flexible Reconnaissance: Drones can be released to perform reconnaissance missions as needed.
- Saturation Attack: Multiple parent aircraft release drones at the same time, forming a large-scale strike.
- Electronic warfare: Drones can perform tasks such as electronic jamming, decoy, etc.
- Self-Defense Counterattack: Drones can be released to intercept enemy aircraft.
Not only that, but the stealth performance of the fuselage has also been significantly improved.
The overall design of wing-body fusion, coupled with variable airfoils, is more conducive to further improving the performance of stealth.
The unmanned sub-aircraft also adopts a stealth design, which is difficult to be detected by enemy radar after release.
Overcome technical difficulties
While China's sixth-generation aircraft design ideas are exciting, there are still a number of technical challenges to achieve this goal.
Although these challenges are daunting, they also bring rare opportunities for innovation to China's aviation industry. Overcoming these difficulties will greatly enhance China's overall strength in the field of military aviation.
The rapid development of China's sixth-generation aircraft has attracted great attention from people in the international community. At present, the sixth-generation aircraft competition on a global scale mainly has the following directions:
1. United States: Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, which plans to deploy equipment by 2030.
2. Europe: The joint British, Italian and Japanese Tempest project, and the Franco-German-Spanish Future Air Combat System (FCAS) project.
3. Russia: At present, the problem of fifth-generation aircraft is still being solved, and the research and development of sixth-generation aircraft is relatively lagging behind.
In contrast, the "mid-air deformation" design of China's sixth-generation aircraft can be described as unique. Perhaps this kind of innovative thinking that stands out from the crowd is likely to win an opportunity for China to win the first step in the new round of military aviation competition.
The emergence of China's sixth-generation aircraft is not only the birth of a new type of fighter, but also may trigger a profound change in the future air combat mode, and it is foreseeable that with the development and improvement of this new type of fighter, the future air combat will show the characteristics of being more intelligent, flexible and efficient.
Innovation leads the future
The exposure of the "mid-air deformation" technology of China's sixth-generation aircraft has undoubtedly brought a fresh wind of change to the world's military aviation field. It not only demonstrates the innovative strength of China's aviation industry, but also points out a new direction for the development of future fighters.
China has always adhered to the path of peaceful development, and the purpose of developing military science and technology is to enhance national defense strength, safeguard national security, and maintain world peace and stability. We hope that this fighter plane, which can "transform in the air," will become a powerful guarantee for deterring aggression and maintaining peace.
In order to truly translate this idea into actual combat equipment, many technical difficulties need to be overcome.
But as J-20 chief engineer Yang Wei said, China's sixth-generation aircraft "will be unimaginable to the biggest imagination of science fiction movies."
It is believed that in the near future, this fighter that can "transform in the air" will soar above the blue sky with its unique posture, protect world peace, build a better future of a community with a shared future for mankind, and contribute to safeguarding national security and world peace.
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