Shenyang FC-31 demonstrators / J-35 naval fighter / J-35A land-based version

Blitzo said:
I'm not sure how you can have a different opinion to the interview if the minister gave an answer to only a specific question asked by the journalist.
The journalist can be faulted for not asking a follow-up question, but chances are they knew they weren't going to get an answer for it.
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I understood your point of view. No need to repeat it constantly.
As for my opinion, I'm not going to repeat it constantly either. If you don't agree with it, that's your right. Everyone understands what you think and what I think. As far as I'm concerned, continuing this discussion makes no sense.
 
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Deltafan said:
I understood your point of view. No need to repeat it constantly.
As for my opinion, I'm not going to repeat it constantly either. If you don't agree with it, that's your right. Everyone understands what you think and what I think. As far as I'm concerned, continuing this discussion makes no sense.
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You're entitled to your opinion, of course.


However, I am writing this for others who may be reading this thread that are newer and impressionable to this topic, to be aware that the video does not have the minister make any remarks about whether the PAF will acquire J-35A "overall" but instead merely answered "no" to the much more specific question about whether the PAF would receive J-35A in 2026.

Therefore, that specific claim from the Turdef article is not substantiated by the video interview segment.
 
I don't think China would want to sell the J-35 to Pakistan before India acquires fifth-generation fighter jets either. Currently, all information about the sale of the J-35 is non-official from China So my suggestion is not to pay too much attention to it. Such information may be used for things like information warfare and has little reference value.
 
Has anyone been able to roughly estimate the number of J35 fighters (until now, not counting prototypes)
 
I'm surprised that they have "Bort Numbers" though. As in large numbering at the front, was that always present in the PLANAF?
 
EmoBirb said:
I'm surprised that they have "Bort Numbers" though. As in large numbering at the front, was that always present in the PLANAF?
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yes

some of the older land based PLANAF planes have the larger red ones.
 

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What options are there for internal AGMs like AGM-88G AARGM-ER, JSM, AGM-158 JASSM, etc?
 
Does not look like a composite-skinned jet? Production or still prototypes?
 
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Blitzo said:
These look fairly consistent with LRIP aircraft.
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Prototypes may use metal skins but LRIP is initial production. You do not rivet composite panels. The F-35 LRIP aircraft look just like the current F-35's. This aircraft has rivet heads all over entire aircraft, looks to be all-metal to me. If these are LRIP then the production ones would look the same. For the F-22 and F-35 panels, they use access fasteners. The YF-23 PAVs from the 90s had very large, one-piece composite structures in which most were bonded. Special fasteners were used in the higher structural load areas where composites were joined to metallic internal structure as an example.
 
Hydroman said:
Prototypes may use metal skins but LRIP is initial production. You do not rivet composite panels. The F-35 LRIP aircraft look just like the current F-35's. This aircraft has rivet heads all over entire aircraft, looks to be all-metal to me. If these are LRIP then the production ones would look the same. For the F-22 and F-35 panels, they use access fasteners. The YF-23 PAVs from the 90s had very large, one-piece composite structures in which most were bonded. Special fasteners were used in the higher structural load areas where composites were joined to metallic internal structure as an example.
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I said specifically LRIP aircraft, I meant what I said.

Have a look at J-20 LRIP aircraft compared with latest units.
 
Blitzo said:
I said specifically LRIP aircraft, I meant what I said.

Have a look at J-20 LRIP aircraft compared with latest units.
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Also, bear in mind that the FC-31v1/FC-31v2/J-35(A) is Shenyang's first manned stealth aircraft, even though Chinese institutions regularly share new technology laterally with each other.

Both sides of the big lake often mean different things when referring to certain project milestones, have different expectations, and employ different methods to achieve them.

That's why comparing, say, the tech demonstrator, EMD, LRIP, etc., milestones of the J-36/J-50 vs. the F-47 does not make sense to me.
 
Is "Flying Shark" the official name of the J-35?
 
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Hydroman said:
Prototypes may use metal skins but LRIP is initial production. You do not rivet composite panels. The F-35 LRIP aircraft look just like the current F-35's. This aircraft has rivet heads all over entire aircraft, looks to be all-metal to me. If these are LRIP then the production ones would look the same. For the F-22 and F-35 panels, they use access fasteners. The YF-23 PAVs from the 90s had very large, one-piece composite structures in which most were bonded. Special fasteners were used in the higher structural load areas where composites were joined to metallic internal structure as an example.
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Northrop+Grumman+Delivers+500th+Center+Fuselage+for+the+F-35+Joint+Strike+Fighter_989599e4-a4a...jpg
From what I see, F-35 uses similar amount of rivets. It's just that they are all covered by a thick coating. These J-35 are LRIP aircraft without the coating applied.
 
via by78 and FirebirdFan/sinodef

https://imgur.com/a/NXToiG1
View: https://imgur.com/a/NXToiG1


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Tomboy said:
View attachment 783660
From what I see, F-35 uses similar amount of rivets. It's just that they are all covered by a thick coating. These J-35 are LRIP aircraft without the coating applied.
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@Tomboy - do you know the differences between a rivet or any other specialized aerospace fastener such as a Hi-Lok? As @Hydroman commented above, you do not use rivets with composites. Here is a tutorial on the installation of Hi-Lok fasteners on aircraft structures:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAR6GsVcZSY
Study up or @Scott Kinney will come by to apply remedial instruction!

I am not stating that Hi-Locs are used to attach F-35 skins, that is simply one kind of precision aerospace fastener that I happened to remember.

Interesting tidbit: the highlight circles and instructions are projected onto the assembly pictured in View attachment 783660, not painted.
 

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