China’s two major airplane-makers, Chengdu and Shenyang, have revealed new stealth fighter demonstrators, which may be among the most sophisticated manned fighters ever developed. The demonstrators’ designs are tailless deltas with wings and control surfaces in the same horizontal plane, potentially reducing radar signature but increasing aerodynamic complexity.
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is determined to acquire an extremely stealthy fighter with complex flight controls, and it’s taking no chances by having both manufacturers work on designs. The PLAAF has a history of using one design if the other fails, as seen with its first-generation stealth fighters.
The recent reveal was partly a marketing triumph, similar to the US Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program in 2020. However, it remains to be seen how well the Chinese demonstrators perform under real-world stress and how much Beijing is willing to invest in one or both designs.
The PLAAF’s new stealth fighters could become multi-role fighters with serious air-to-air capability or function as stealthy ground-attack planes. The development of medium- and long-range stealth bombers is also underway, which may be related to the demonstrators’ potential evolution into bomber roles.
Note: The article has been condensed to approximately 250 words while retaining the essential information.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/12/26/china-revealed-two-new-stealth-fighter-designs-in-one-momentous-day