a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://bp1.blogger.com/_RRbP6fpJWAc/Rwd_o3ZxPZI/AAAAAAAAAVg/Vkz3wvBr1vA/s1600-h/jdw021210_2_p.jpg”img style=”margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;” src=”http://bp1.blogger.com/_RRbP6fpJWAc/Rwd_o3ZxPZI/AAAAAAAAAVg/Vkz3wvBr1vA/s320/jdw021210_2_p.jpg” alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118199841573387666″ border=”0″ //aThe Shenyang Aircraft Company has been selected to head research and development of a new heavyweight fighter for China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), according to a senior source at the China Aviation Industry Corp I (AVIC I).br /br /Development of the engines and weapon subsystems for the fourth-generation fighter has been underway for some time, according to the source, who revealed that a number of design concepts have already been created. Wind-tunnel tests of these are about to start. Images of the concepts show a twin-engine aircraft sharing some design traits with Lockheed Martin’s stealthy F/A-22 multirole fighter, now undergoing tests with the US Air Force, such as the internal carriage of its weapon systems. The Chinese designs retain a more conventional wing, however, and use a single vertical tail fin.br /br /AVIC I officials told JDW that the new aircraft – tentatively dubbed the J-X and possibly to receive the service designation J-13A – could use the WS10A turbofan engine designed by the Shenyang Liming Motor Company during its development and trials process.br /br /In development for more than a decade, the WS10-series powerplant completed air trials earlier this year with an Su-27SK (NATO reporting name: ‘Flanker-B’) fighter. The WS10A is scheduled for introduction with the PLAAF’s new J-10A fighter, which has yet to be formally unveiled.br /br /Continuing research into advanced control techniques is expected to in time allow the air force to field WS10A-powered J-10A and J-X fighters equipped with thrust-vectoring nozzles offering improved aircraft manoeuvrability.br /br /While AVIC I sources will not speculate when the new fighter might make its first test flight, a debut around the end of the decade could be expected if the project matches the development process for China’s J-10A and J-8D projects.br /br /Source: janes.com

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