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Every year, the National Day is a long-awaited moment for Chinese military fans, as they have the opportunity to witness the unveiling of the latest weapons and equipment. However, this year's National Day brought an unexpected surprise, and this surprise was not the first flight of the large aircraft, but the successful first flight of the FC-31 Air Force livery version. This news comes from the US "War Zone" column, and the public photos show that under the escort of J-16 fighters, an FC-31 fighter successfully completed its first flight. Unlike the previous carrier-based plate ejection FC-31, the new FC-31 is dressed in a pale gray Air Force livery and proudly painted with white numbering on its tail.
The FC-31 was originally an export stealth fighter independently developed by the Chinese aviation industry. Due to insufficient funding, the project has been slow to progress. However, everything changed after this fighter was identified as a stealth carrier-based aircraft of China's electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier, and the project ushered in a period of rapid development. The design concept of the FC-31 has always been multi-purpose and multi-platform, including aircraft carrier-based aircraft, air force models and foreign trade export models. In order to adapt to aircraft carrier operations, the carrier-based version of FC-31 has made a series of improvements in wing area, fuselage strength, landing gear, tail hook, wing folding mechanism, fuselage anti-corrosion, etc., which inevitably increases the weight of the airframe. In contrast, the airframe structure of the Air Force type and the foreign trade export FC-31 are similar in structure, both are land-based fighters, the wing area is small, unnecessary reinforcement parts are eliminated, so the airframe is relatively light. Supported by the same engines, these models of FC-31 have a higher thrust-to-weight ratio and superior maneuverability. In terms of airborne equipment, the foreign trade export FC-31 is different from the Air Force type, but the overall performance is still excellent.
The first flight of the Air Force version of the FC-31 has attracted a lot of attention, although it is not yet certain whether it will be equipped with the Chinese Air Force, but it has left a lot of suspense. Some might think that because the J-20 is already in service with the Chinese Air Force, the FC-31 doesn't seem to have much advantage, and some even doubt it. However, let's clarify some facts: the FC-31 is an underestimated fighter.
First of all, the fact that the Chinese Air Force is equipped with the J-20 does not mean that the FC-31 has no advantages. For a large country like China, having a heavy stealth fighter like the J-20 with long-range combat capabilities, excellent stealth performance and supersonic flight performance is crucial. However, the FC-31 also has its own advantages, such as low life cycle costs, excellent stealth performance, and excellent integrated combat performance. The combination of the Chinese Air Force and the J-20 to deal with aging F-22s may be more plausible if the FC-31 can compete with the Air Force's F-35.
Secondly, once the more complex carrier-based board FC-31 is available, the development of the Air Force version of the FC-31 will be a natural thing to do. The continuous maturity of technology will further improve the maneuverability of the FC-31. To make the most of this stealth combat platform, the Chinese military needs to expand its range of equipment, because a fighter can only be considered cost-effective from a military and economic point of view when the number of aircraft reaches a certain scale.
Third, to compete with the United States in stealth fighters, the Chinese military needs to deploy the FC-31 on a large scale. The United States has produced fewer than 200 F-22s, highlighting the high cost of heavy stealth fighters. The diverse combination of the J-20 and FC-31 could change the U.S. military's numerical superiority in the stealth fighter field.
Fourth, it is critical that the FC-31 has the best stealth performance of any stealth fighter. The FC-31 not only surpassed the F-35 in terms of combat radius, bomb load, maneuverability and situational awareness, but also excelled in stealth performance. Considering the level of China's aviation industry, there is no doubt that the FC-31 is expected to have a strong comprehensive combat performance.
Finally, only China's land-based version of the FC-31 can drive more exports. Whether China can export stealth fighters on a large scale has an important impact on the pattern of Sino-US diplomatic competition. The deployment of the FC-31 by the Chinese Air Force will be a great advertisement, and from the perspective of military economics, Sino-American competition and military aircraft exports, the Chinese Air Force may be equipped with a second stealth fighter, which will be one of the best stealth fighters in the world.
The successful maiden flight of the FC-31 marks a new milestone in China's military industry and has also brought more attention to China's military strength in the global military community. Regardless of the future development, the appearance of the FC-31 has injected new impetus into China's military modernization, so let's wait and see how this fighter performs. It is also a reminder that China is moving towards the pinnacle of military strength and technological innovation, a trend that will continue to shape the international military landscape.
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