On November 1, Airshow China in Zhuhai unveiled what appears to be stolen technology from at least one U.S. company. In a marquee spectacle that underwhelmed viewers, Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) revealed its J-20 stealth fighter for the first time to the public. The J-20 directly competes with the U.S. F-22 Raptor, and appears to be influenced by U.S. technology stolen from Lockheed Martin Corporation by Chinese hackers.
Other U.S. companies have seen their technology adopted by Chinese aero-defense designers. In 2008 the U.S. sent two Boeing C-17 cargo planes to China with relief supplies after an earthquake. In 2013, China unveiled the Y-20, a similar-looking cargo plane that also flew in Zhuhai this month. The Y-20 has likely supplied China’s illegal island-building in the South China Sea. In 2016, China built hangers on its militarized islands capable of accommodating the Y-20.
To read more:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/anderscorr/2016/11/10/airshow-china-a-thieves-bazaar/#658e25e91ba4
STOLEN DESIGNS
By Alex Boyle
First published 29.10.2015
American made F-35, the Ultimate Desire of Espionage, First Flight in 2006
It is no secret that modern China used copycat industrial techniques to fast track their rise as an industrial power. It is a subject that has appeared in a rash of news articles lately, but often overlooked is how China obtained these designs and the challenges they face while reproducing them in numbers in order to be a factor in the market. Numerous arrests have been made in the United States for espionage activities concerning advanved naval designs, including the electro magnetic railgun, and other items too sensitive for public discussion found on CDs in a Chinese national's baggage at Los Angeles International Airport in 2005. Perhaps because of political reprecussions, the story of how the Israelis sold China the designs to their one time souped up F-16 delta wing jet gets totally buried by the media. What has not been buried is the interest of Iran at purchasing the J-10 fighter.
Chinese Prototype J-31, First Flight, October 2012
American F-35B on Sea Trials, 2014
Chinese J-31 Prototype doing take offs and landings, 2015
Follow the lines they rarely lie
American F-16 Viper, Deployed in 1978
Israel IAI Lavi B 2, First Flight December 31, 1986
China's Chengdu J-10, First Flight 1998
The backbone of a superpower is its abilitiy to project logistical support around the globe. Images of beautiful fighter jets look great on front pages when crisis arises, but nothing gets done until all the gear gets deployed. The problem is that many of these out of the way location hot spots do not have proper air fields, so the need for a heavy lifting short take off and landing jet enables material to get where it has to go. The United States bought over 220 of the near 747 sized jets that can land on a dirt strip. The Chinese so far have four under powered jets of a similar design.
American made McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster, note high bypass turbofan engines, First Flight 1991
Chinese Xian Y-20 Cargo jet, Note the primitive Russian engines, First Flight January 2013
McDonnell Douglas C-17, Length 174 feet, wingspan 169 feet, height 55 feet, empty weight 282,000, max take off weight 585,000 lbs, max payload 170,000. The key are the four Pratt and Whitney F117 engines with 40,400 lbs of thrust
Xian Y-20, Length 154 feet, wingspan 150 feet, height 49 feet, empty weight 220,000 lbs, max take off weight 485,000. Prototype has Russian engines with 24,000 lbs of thrust while production rumored to have 28,000 pounds of thrust
Lockheed C-130 in Egyptian colors, First flew in 1960's latest version appeared in 1996
Chinese Shannxi Y-9, First Flight November 2010
Lockheed C-130, Length 97 feet, wingspan 132 feet, height 38 feet, empty weight 75,000, loaded weight 175,000, max payload 75,000 pounds.
Shaanxi Y-9, Length 118 feet, wingspan 131 feet, height 36 feet, empty weight 85,000 pounds, loaded weight 169,000 pounds, payload 55,000 pounds.
Russian SU-33 Flanker, Twin Engined Navy Fighter, First Flight 1987, Thirty Five Built
Chinese J-15 Twin Engined Naval Fighter, First Flight August 2009, Deployed 2013, 15 built
Sukhoi 33, Length 72 feet, wingspan 48 feet, height 19 feet, empty 40,000 lbs, loaded 66,000 lbs.
Shenyang J-15, Length 72 feet, wingspan 48 feet, height 19 feet, empty 38,600 lbs, loaded 60,000 lbs.
Russian Yak 130 Two Seat Trainer, First Flight 1996, Introduced in 2009
Chinese L15, Two Seat Trainer, Fight Flight 2006
Russian Yak-130, length 37 feet, wingspan 31 feet, height 15 feet, empty weight 10,100 lbs, max weight 22,000 lbs.
Hongdu L-15, length 40 feet, wingspan 31 feet, height 15 feet, empty weight 9,900 lbs, max weight 20,900 lbs.
Russian Su-27, Introduced in 1985, 800 built
Chinese Shenyang J-11, Introduced in 1998, over 250 built
Sukhoi-27, Length 72 feet, wingspan 48 feet, height 19 feet, empty weight 36,000, loaded weight 67,100.
Shenyang J-11, Length 72 feet, wingspan 48 feet, height 19 feet, empty weight 36,000, max loaded weight 73,000.
IAI Lavi B 2
Chengdu J-10B
Lavi, length 48 feet, wingspan 29 feet, height 16 feet, empty weight 15,500 lbs, max loaded 42,500 lbs, single engine, fly by wire controls.
J-10, length 50 feet, wingspan 31 feet, height 17 feet, empty weight 21,000 lbs, max loaded 42,500 lbs, single engine, fly by wire controls.
The story of the Lavi has the longest reprecussions. As a recipient of aid from America, some four billion dollars plus a year for the last forty years, one wonders why Israel had the hubris of trying to finance its own fighter jet. Largely based on the earlier F-16, it had a delta wing with canards and mostly homegrown avionics and fly by wire. Five Lavis were built before being cancelled, while there have been over 250 of the J-10s built with recent orders sending shockwaves through the Middle East.
At some point in time the plans for the Lavi made their way to China, and while claims have been made of the J-10 as a follow up to their indigenous J-9, the configuration of the engine inlet, tail, delta wing, last but not least fly by wire controls meaning fiber optics and servos move wing controls not heavy hydraulics, makes this entirely western in origin design.
The irony of the Israelis slipping, or more likely selling the plans of the Lavi to the Chinese in the early 1990's, is that it became with subsequent development the best made plane in the Chinese Air Force. Kharma being a bitch, Israel now has to ponder what Iran may do with an alleged order of over 100 J-10s that just occurred.
The Lavi legacy lives on elsewhere in that, the most able and brilliant jet design of this generation, the F-22 Raptor has been legally precluded from export by the United States Congress. Both Israel and Japan had requested the Raptor and were denied.
Lockheed Martin F 22A Raptor, First Deployed in 2002
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