PLA* ON TAKEOFF: FIFTH-GENERATION FIGHTER

A. N. BASOV

Chief Expert of the Department of Analysis and Long-term Planning of FSUE "Rosoboronexport", candidate of IDV RAS

China Keywords:, PLA modernization, advanced multi-purpose fighter, aviation industry, R & D, "Jian-20"

An important component of the growth of the integrated power of the PRC is the activation of its foreign policy and the strengthening of its military potential. First of all, this is due to the process of China's emergence as a leading power in East Asia and the intensification of rivalry with the United States in this region**.

The latest White Paper, "China's National Defense in 2010," published in March 2011, emphasizes that the PRC "diligently promotes the construction of a harmonious planet characterized by long-term peace and shared prosperity" and pursues a "self-defensive defense policy", taking into account the challenges in the field of international security.

The situation in the field of international security is even more complex and complicated (compared to changes in the international situation), " the document says. "Every day, international strategic rivalry over the international order, the complex power of the state, geopolitics, etc. is becoming more acute, contradictions between developed and developing countries, traditional large countries and newly industrial countries with rapidly developing markets, local conflicts are heating up, and regional "hot spots" are constantly making themselves felt."¹. In this regard, China intends to "protect strategic opportunities that are important for the country's development, pursue a military-strategic course of active self-defense in the new period "²," promote the modernization of national defense and the army, ... introduce new high-tech weapons, develop a new type of combat forces, and direct efforts to create a unified combat system in the context of informatization " ³.

HIGH-TECH LEAP

Modernization of the Chinese air Force is considered as one of the priority tasks of the country's military construction.

The Air Force is tasked with stepping up efforts to modernize its capabilities to "meet the strategic needs of offensive and defensive operations." ⁴

The main directions of China's military-technical policy for the period up to 2025 are as follows::

- development of the national technological base necessary for the development and production of advanced weapons and military equipment (IWT), reducing the existing gap in the development of IWT from leading foreign countries;

- expanding the production of self-developed weapons and military equipment samples, improving the quality of weapons being created, and reducing the development and testing time of new types of aviation equipment;

- ensuring the introduction of promising military technologies purchased abroad into newly created and modernized weapons and military equipment samples;

- development of new defense technologies that will allow for the independent creation of promising weapons and military equipment.

To implement these plans, China is steadily increasing its R & D spending in high-tech industries (see Table 1).

So far, China has lost out to the developed aviation powers in military-technical terms. Despite the huge number of combat aircraft, their quality left much to be desired. In most cases, these were alterations of old Soviet aircraft.

But in recent years, Beijing has made significant strides in overcoming this problem.

If in 2000 only 2% of the PLA Air Force combat aircraft could be considered modern, today the share of vehicles of the 3rd and 4th generations (according to the global classification) is 25%. This update is associated with the massive adoption of Su-27SK/UBK fighters

* The People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) - the Armed forces of the People's Republic of China (Editor's note).

** For more information, see: Leksyutina Ya. V. USA-China: Rivalry in Southeast Asia is getting Worse / / Asia and Africa Today, 2012, No. 3 (editor's note).

Table 1

R & D and development of new high-tech products (billion yuan*)

* $1 is currently equal to approximately 6.3 yuan (approx. ed.).

Sources: compiled from the statistical collections of the Information Center of Science and Technology Statistics for 1998-2010. - http://www.sts.org.cn

("Jian-11"), Su-30MKK, as well as "Jian-10", "Jian-11B". At the same time, new versions of the Jian-7II, Jian-7IIN and Jian-7IIM fighters are being put into service.⁵

Thanks to the achievements of Chinese science and industry, the image of China's combat aviation is changing dramatically. So, until recently, the Chinese Air Force was considered the third most powerful Air Force in the world after the United States and Russia. However, now many experts are beginning to say that in the near future Russia will give way to China in second place.

The combat tasks of aviation are also changing: now they are significantly expanded, up to launching strikes with high-precision weapons against remote land and sea targets outside the PRC.

According to the forecast in April 2010 of one of the most authoritative research centers in the world - the American Forecast International Weapons Group, the world's leading aircraft manufacturers in the next five years (2010 - 2014) may produce 1,524 fighters.

The market leader remains the American company Lockheed Martin, whose share in the global fighter market will be 24.3% (370 aircraft). It is followed by the European concern Eurofighter GmbH - 18.4% (280), the Chinese aviation and industrial company Chengdu, Sichuan Province (Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co. Ltd.) - 15.4% (234), the Russian AKH Sukhoi-13.9% (212) and the American corporation "Boeing" (Boeing Co.) - 10.4% (159). The share of other manufacturers will be more than 17%⁶.

A slightly different assessment of the position of the world's leading manufacturers of aviation equipment in the multi-purpose fighter segment is given by the Russian non - governmental organization for monitoring the world and regional arms markets-the Center for Analysis of the World Arms Trade (CAMTO). The Center proceeds from an analysis of the portfolio of contractual obligations signed as of June 1, 2011 for the supply of such combat vehicles in 2011-2014. ⁷

However, regardless of the approach and assessment methods used by Forecast International and CAMTO, Chinese aircraft manufacturers occupy the third or fourth position in the world.

FROM BORROWING TO OWN DEVELOPMENTS

Currently, Chinese aviation specialists are moving from primitive copying of foreign models to creating their own developments that correspond to the world level. A clear example of this is the tests of the fifth - generation fighter (according to the Chinese classification-the fourth) "Jian-20", or "Black Eagle", which began at the end of 2010.

According to the Pentagon's annual report published in August 2011, the Chinese fifth-generation fighter can reach the level of" effective operational capabilities " by 2018.It is assumed that this aircraft will not become an air combat fighter, but will perform the tasks of a long-range strike aircraft. It is emphasized that the " Black Eagle "will eventually enable the PLA Air Force to carry out long-range strikes in conditions of overcoming a strong enemy air defense system.⁸

From the point of view of technical features of the design, the Jian-20 aircraft is a monoplane with a high-positioned deltoid wing of a large area, mated to the fuselage, fully rotating two-keel vertical and front horizontal tail. Probably, the fighter has a wing with variable leading and trailing edges of the wing. Such a wing first appeared on an experimental project of the American company McDonnell Douglas in the early 90's. ⁹ Engine nacelles are located on the sides of the fuselage under the wings. The general outline of the aircraft suggests that it was designed using the technology of geometric stealth ¹⁰.

The nose and taillight of the cockpit are made similar to the American F-22 Raptor, the location of the front horizontal tail resembles the Russian C-37 Berkut, the air intakes with characteristic thickenings are close to the American F-35 Lightning II, the keels are similar in shape to the F-35 Lightning II, but all-rotating, like the T-50, the tail the unit resembles the MiG-1.44 (see Fig. 1).

Data on the radio-absorbing materials used in the creation of the Jian-20 have not yet been made public. However, according to some experts, the Beijing Institute of Aviation Materials is developing a radio-absorbing coating for combat aircraft. And China could have obtained the technology necessary for the development of new-generation composite materials with the help of the Serbian leadership, which provided Chinese specialists with the wreckage of the American F-117 Night Hawk ^{11 fighter-bomber shot down by the Serbian air defense system in 1999}.

In addition, during the presidency of Bill Clinton, American companies generously shared technologies and know-how in the field of composite materials with China, which led to the rapid progress of the PRC in the development of stealth technologies (stealth aircraft). In particular, China gained American know-how and technologies through the creation of joint ventures with such firms as BP America (precursors* and resins), Hexcel (technologies for pre-impregnated composite materials) and Sikorsky (joint production of aviation equipment, the formation of" invisible " (for enemy technical means) forms and know-how).

The combination of these types of American exports has allowed the Chinese to create their own high-tech product that can be used in the development of promising military programs, including the creation of a new generation of low-visibility missiles, manned and unmanned combat "stealth" aircraft capable of breaking through air defense systems, warships and ground vehicles with low unmasking characteristics. ¹²

The Jian-20 aircraft has a nose section of a sufficiently large diameter, in which a heavy-duty radar station with an active phased array antenna (AFAR) can be installed.

It is assumed that this fighter is equipped with Chinese-made WS-10 Taihang aircraft engines in an upgraded version-WS-10G FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control)¹³. This version is supported, in particular, by the fact that in January 2011, at the PLA Air Force Equipment Institute, President Hu Jintao of the People's Republic of China awarded the institute's chief engineer, Gan Xiaohua, on behalf of the Central Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee, with a medal and certificate for leadership-

* Precursor - a chemical substance, initial component, or participant in intermediate reactions during the synthesis of a substance.

We are currently working on the development of the WS-10G FADEC engine for a new generation fighter aircraft.

THE DREAM OF COMBAT AVIATION

The fifth-generation multirole fighter is the future of combat aviation. For a specialist's ear, its main characteristics sound like Beethoven's "Ode to Joy", namely::

- a drastic reduction in the visibility of the aircraft in the radar and infrared ranges, combined with the transition of on-board sensors to passive methods of obtaining information, as well as to increased stealth modes;

- multi-functionality, i.e. high efficiency in hitting air, ground, surface and underwater targets;

- availability of a circular information system;

- flying at supersonic speeds without using afterburner;

- supermaneuverability;

- ability to carry out all-angle firing of targets in close air combat, as well as conduct multi-channel rocket firing during long-range combat;

- automation of control of on-board information systems and jamming systems;

- increased combat autonomy due to the installation of a tactical situation indicator in the cockpit of a single-seat aircraft with the possibility of mixing information (i.e. simultaneous output and mutual superimposition of "pictures" from various sensors on a single scale), as well as the use of telecode information exchange systems with external sources;

- aerodynamics and on-board systems provide the ability to change the angular orientation and trajectory of the aircraft without any noticeable delays, without requiring strict coordination and coordination of the movements of the control bodies;

- the aircraft "forgives" gross errors of piloting in a wide range of flight conditions;

- the aircraft is equipped with an automated control system at the level of solving tactical tasks, which has an expert mode "to help the pilot".

The U.S. Air Force has been in service for seven years with the world's only stealth fifth - generation multirole fighter, the F-22 Raptor. Its production was completed in December 2011. ¹⁴

The development of a more advanced American fifth-generation fighter, the F-35 Lightning II, is being conducted by Lockheed Martin Corporation. The project is estimated to cost more than $54.5 billion. Its creation, in addition to the United States, is funded by the United Kingdom ($2.5 billion), Italy ($1 billion), the Netherlands ($0.8 billion), Canada ($440 million), Turkey ($175 million), Australia ($144 million), Norway ($122 million) and Denmark ($110 millions).

By February 2012, the US Air Force had received 12 F-35A fighters, 8 F-35B and 3 F - 35C¹⁵.

However, the American fighter with a shortened takeoff and vertical landing F-35B Lightning II is still experiencing a lot of technical difficulties, which is why the program for its creation was under threat of closure. The identified problems include engine overheating when operating in vertical takeoff and landing mode, excess weight of the fighter, malfunctions in some components of the vertical landing system, and software failures. If these defects are not corrected in the next two years, the Pentagon will close funding for Project ¹⁶.

The need to create or acquire fifth-and subsequent-generation fighters (and other weapons) is primarily determined by the desire of a number of countries to lead on a global scale (the United States, China) or a particular region of the world (Iran, Turkey), as well as the resulting military and political threats to neighboring countries (Russia, India, Republic of Korea, Japan).

Other countries refused to develop fifth-generation aircraft not only for financial and economic reasons, but also because of the lack of experience in designing fighter aircraft (Australia, Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, Chile) or the practical lack of a developed military, including aviation industry. Iran produces second-and third-generation combat aircraft.

It should also be borne in mind that recently much attention has been paid to the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (USA, Israel, Iran, China, Germany, France, Russia), which are used both for reconnaissance purposes and as weapons carriers, and are considered as an alternative to fourth-and fifth-generation fighters, since they can be used as an alternative to the fourth-and fifth-generation fighters. the cost is significantly lower.

According to the magazine Aviation Week and Space Technology, the start of testing of the Jian-20 aircraft means that China may be only a few years behind the development of the American F-35 program, which suffers from various kinds of delays. The Black Eagle is a big step forward for the PLA Air Force, which today relies mainly on Russian-made aircraft or is a compilation of Russian and Israeli projects.¹⁷

According to K. Sivkov, First Vice-president of the Russian Academy of Geopolitical Problems, the fifth-generation Chinese fighter jet demonstrates Beijing's serious technological ambitions and its growing military capabilities. China has demonstrated that the country has already formed scientific, technical and design schools and created technological capabilities that can provide the country with a military-technical breakthrough in the next 5 to 15 years and reach the world's leading frontiers.¹⁸

At the same time, according to Andrey Chang (Pinkov), editor-in-chief of the authoritative Hong Kong magazine Kanwa Defense Review, the new Chinese aircraft does not yet meet the tactical and technical parameters inherent in the Russian T-50 fighter and the American F-22 Raptor. Among the shortcomings of the Jian-20 ,he called insufficient engine power, the inability to fly at supersonic speeds, as well as the imperfection of the radar system and stele technology. According to Chan, the current prototype is more likely to belong to the 4+ generation aircraft, which can later be brought to the fifth generation by improving engines, radar and other equipment.¹⁹

Although the PRC has made significant progress in developing its own military science and production base, its research and production base is still weak, based on the production of foreign samples obtained in various ways, mainly Russian ones.

The Black Eagle can compete in one or two of the four basic fifth-generation technologies implemented on the F-22 Raptor. But in any case, China can challenge the dominance of the US Air Force ²⁰.

The adoption of this machine will once again confirm China's claims to the role of a superpower that can compete with the United States. US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has acknowledged that China has made more progress in developing a fifth-generation fighter jet using stele technology than the US had anticipated. American intelligence clearly made a mistake in predicting when this might happen. Nevertheless, Gates stressed that Beijing is still years behind the United States in terms of stealth aircraft, and even by 2015, the Pentagon will have many more such combat vehicles than any other country.²¹

However, the former head of US Air Force intelligence, Lieutenant General David Deptula, called on the US to closely monitor the development of the Chinese Jian-20 fighter jet, calling the appearance of this aircraft a "wake-up call". In his opinion, this aircraft can turn into a "very formidable enemy" if the Chinese can achieve the creation of a radar with AFAR and reliable engines, as well as advance in the development of stele technologies. China can equip such a combat vehicle with three new types of missiles - an air-to-air guided missile with a range greater than that of American missiles, an anti-ship missile and a missile for hitting ground targets, as well as a missile aimed at American artificial Earth satellites. Also, the Jian-20 aircraft can be used to destroy tanker aircraft, E-3 Sentry long-range radar detection and control aircraft, and E-8 electronic reconnaissance aircraft. The appearance of the Black Eagle alongside the Russian T-50 suggests that US air superiority is "slipping away." ²²

WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF A RUSSIAN-INDIAN PLANE?

As for the Russian aviation industry, in the future it may also lose the competition with the Chinese aviation industry, since at present the Russian military-industrial complex, in fact, is sitting on old Soviet developments and technologies and so far has nothing radically new to offer.

In addition, the Jian-20 will be a direct competitor to the fifth-generation Russian-Indian aircraft. It is planned that the Chinese aircraft will enter service in 2020, so the time factor plays a crucial role. The prototype of the Russian T-50 fighter jet flew at the end of 2009.

The start of testing in China of its own fifth-generation fighter forced Russian developers to focus even more attention on creating a promising domestic analog of the T-50.

According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel-General Alexander Zelin, more than 100 flights were completed under the test program of the fifth-generation T-50 fighter. All the characteristics obtained during the tests basically confirm the requirements put forward for this sample ²³.

After a comparative analysis of the characteristics of the Russian fifth-generation fighter T-50 with the American F-22 and Chinese "Jian-20", we can conclude that it surpasses foreign analogues in such indicators as maximum flight speed (both afterburner and afterburner), maximum flight range, thrust-to-weight ratio, and the maximum realized overload..

Despite its size and mass characteristics comparable to foreign analogues, the T-50 has a significantly lower take-up and mileage. In addition, according to the characteristics of the on-board equipment, it looks better than its foreign counterparts ²⁴.

On February 20, 2012, Vladimir Putin, the Head of the Russian government, got acquainted with the assembly of fifth-generation T-50 aircraft at the aircraft building enterprise, while holding a meeting in Komsomolsk-on-Amur on the implementation of the state policy in the field of defense industry development for the period up to 2020 and beyond.²⁵

India joined the Russian fifth-generation fighter project only in December 2010, when both sides signed a contract to develop a preliminary design of the aircraft. The program received the designation PMI (advanced multi-purpose fighter). India's share in the project will be about 30% of the total volume of aircraft construction. Indian engineers will develop composite materials, some avionics, electronic warfare systems and cabin displays, and will also be responsible for redesigning the single-seat Russian version into a two-seat for the Indian Air Force ²⁶.

As expected, the rollout of the prototype of the PMI will take place approximately

by 2017, but delays are quite possible, judging by the experience of developing the T-50.

These fighters will be the first joint Indian-Russian aviation project to be delivered to third countries. The Russian Center for Analysis of the International Arms Trade estimated the approximate global market for PMI at more than 400 vehicles. In order to remain competitive, the Russian-Indian fifth-generation fighter should enter the market earlier than the Chinese competitor, and its price should be no more than $80-100 million per unit. ²⁷

Thus, China can become the second power in the world after the United States, which is armed with fifth-generation fighters. According to some experts, the cost of the Jian-20 aircraft may be 50-80% lower than the cost of the Russian T-50 and American F-22 aircraft.

This circumstance would open up favorable prospects for the Chinese aircraft in the international arms market. Potential clients already include Pakistan, the Middle East, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the richest countries in Africa.

In addition, according to the expert of the Washington International Center for Assessment and Strategy R. Fischer, Research Institute N611 of the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation based on the Jian-11B (Su-27) aircraft created a multifunctional stealth fighter for gaining air superiority under the conditional index "Jian-16", equipped with a radar with active headlights and an internal weapons compartment. The Jian-16 aircraft is a fighter made using stele technology, similar in aerodynamic shape to the Russian T-50. In it, China would like to use technologies created in Russia as part of the 4++ Su-35 ²⁸ generation fighter program.

* * *

Thus, China is developing several new-generation aircraft, first of all, a fundamentally new heavy, expensive multi-purpose strike aircraft "Jian-20" and a relatively cheap fighter for gaining air superiority "Jian-16", which should make maximum use of existing technologies.

Despite the current lag of the Chinese aviation industry behind the world's leading aircraft manufacturing corporations in the development and production of aircraft engines and avionics, the level of training of scientific and technical personnel, China managed to create a national scientific, technical and design base, which made it possible to" jump " from cars of the 1st - 2nd generations, go straight to cars generations 4 and 4+, moreover-to create a prototype of a fifth-generation combat aircraft, and stand on a par with such countries as the United States, Russia, and France.

It seems that the path of reverse engineering ²⁹ chosen by China can help the country reduce the gap in the military sphere from the advanced powers, since in this case time is saved for testing and fine-tuning its own prototypes, and experience is gained in adapting other people's technological solutions in order to create its own. And with the appropriate pace of industrial development, a step towards creating our own models of military equipment is also possible.

¹ Press Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, March 2011. China's National Defense in 2010 (in Russian) - http://russian.china.org.cn/exclusive/txt/2011-10/20/content_23676601.htm

² Там же - http://russian.china.org.cn/exclusive/txt/2011-10/20/content_23676601_5.htm

³ Там же - http://russian.china.org.cn/exclusive/txt/2011-10/20/content_23676601_6.htm

⁴ http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-03/31/c_13806920.htm

⁵ China's J-20 to be Effective Capability by 2018 - Pentagon. Flightglobal, 26.08.2011 - http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/chinas-j-20-to-be-effective-capability-by-2018-pentag on-361283/

⁶ Interfax AVN (Military News Agency), 27.04.2010.

⁷ World arms trade, CAMTO. 2011, N 7.

⁸ Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2011. Annual report to Congress. Office of the Secretary of Defense.

⁹ http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/12/is-this-chinas-first-stealth-fighter

¹⁰ http://china-defense.blogspot.com/2010/12/latest-batch-of-j-20-photos.html

^{11. Volodin V. V.} 11 Chinese aircraft builders will be able to catch up with Russian ones / / Nezavisimoe voennoe obozrenie, 21.12.2007.

¹² http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=253693

¹³ http://www.newsru.com, 06.01.2011.

¹⁴ Final Raptor Rolls Out // CodeOne Magazine, 13.12.2011 - http://www.codeonemagazine.com/news_item.html?item_id=526

¹⁵ Ejection Seat Problems Ground 15 F-35 Jets // Star-Telegram, 30.01.2012 - http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/30/3698876/ejection-seat-problems-ground.html

¹⁶ The "Jian" principle. Lenta.Ru, 28.04.2011.

^{Lowther William.} 17 PRC's Fifth-Generation Jet Pictures Cause Stir in US // Taipei Times, 1.01.2011 - http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2011/01/01/2003492375

¹⁸ Interfax AVN, 14.01.2011.

¹⁹ http://www.newsru.com, 06.01.2011.

²⁰ What would China's 5th Generation Fighter like to be? // http://www.china-defense-mashup.com, 01.06.2009.

²¹ http://www.arms-expo.ru/site.xp/053049049048124050048053053048.html

²² http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/02/air-force-deptula-calls-j20-a-wake-up-call-021311 w/

²³ Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force: S-400 will start protecting the borders of Russia in 2012 / / RIA Novosti, 13.02.2012 - http://ria.ru/interview/20120213/564604027.html

²⁴ Ibid.

²⁵ Website of the Government of the Russian Federation. Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, who arrived in Komsomolsk-on-Amur on a working trip, visited the Yuri Gagarin Aviation Production Association, 20.02.2012 - http://premier.gov.ru/events/news/18193/

²⁶ Call to speed up Indo-Russian fighter project // The Hindu, 15.01.2011 - http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/articlel093063.ece

²⁷ Ibid.

²⁸ http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=6301965&c=ASI&s=AIR

²⁹ Reverse engineering (reverse engineering), or reverse engineering - research (analysis) of a certain device or program, as well as documentation for it, in order to understand the principle of its operation and reproduce the device or program with similar functions, but without copying it as such (editor's note).

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