The J-36, J-50, GJ-11 and a handful of other prototype aircraft all adopted a similar structure (flying doritos) with no tails and a lifting body. Furthermore, the J-50 and likely J-36 are supersonic aircraft and I don’t believe there has been a supersonic flying wing yet. Why is China investing in this design so heavily and how are they able to avoid the major hiccups of similar aircraft that the West has faced?
Afaik this is something to do with avoiding radar detection, as a fairly peaceful country it makes sense they’d prefer to invest in seeing others while not being seen.
I don’t know if it’s radar detection. The F-35, F-22, F-117, Su-57, J-35, and J-20 are all stealth aircraft with tails. The B-2 is the only stealth tailless aircraft in use currently. Plus radar cross sections can’t really be inferred from vision.
This plane has an RCS of a small bird:
This plane has the RCS of a schoolbus:
Those are all 5th gen. Designed in the 90s.
Chinas brand new designs are 6th gen. Designed in the 00s. Technology has advanced, designs have advanced, fly-by-wire has advanced, and now there is less need for vertical tail surfaces to maintain maneuverability.
Tailless designs (super advanced US Drones, the NGAD concepts, B2 and B21, new Chinese designs, etc) are better for stealth. It has just taken time for the technology to make it’s way from large bombers like the B2 to the smaller Tactical fighters China is building.
The “flying Dorito” being so prevalent is due to convergent evolution. It’s the most effective design If you want to minimize radar signature, while maximizing aerodynamics and internal volume.
It’s the same reason that every airliner looks similar, and why the Soviet and US shuttles looked so similar. These planes have the same basic job that a B2 does, carry a lot of payload, a long way, while maintaining as small a radar signature as you can. The laws of physics still constrain the design. But computer assisted flight has also mitigated a lot of the stability concerns that made these designs impractical decades ago.
The f-35, and the j35, make a trade-off in stealth for aerodynamics. China didn’t feel the need to make the same trade-off with their other stealth planes. Partially because the technology has gotten better, and probably because the mission is different.
If/when America fields a 6th gen fighter, it is gonna look similar to these Chinese ones.
The “flying Dorito” being so prevalent is due to convergent evolution.
Carcinization for jets?
I remember reading somewhere that delta wings are good for quick and efficient lift, provide greater fuel storage, and perform best at high speeds and high altitudes. If I allow myself to armchair general for a little, this makes sense for a country focusing on its defense. The threat of US stealth bombers and fighters mean China probably values fighters that can quickly get to their desired altitude to intercept.
Purely vibes based = cause it looks sick. You gotta dab on your haters if you wanna make it big. Same reason why socialist leaders are all dripped out
Watch out, they’ll start making planes with forward swept wings purely for swag
Gold plated spinners on the wheels
they never got Gex over there so nobody told them it’s tail time
My layman understanding is that the more geometric “features” a plane has, the less stealthy it is. I think a literal flying saucer would be ideal, but that’s not aerodynamic.
