China stealth fighter "appears" to have made second flight

[Hafizzz]

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China stealth fighter "appears" to have made second flight
China stealth fighter appears to have made second flight | World | Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) - China appears to have staged a second test-flight of a new stealth fighter jet, a state-owned newspaper said on Tuesday, which if true could be another step towards narrowing the military gap with the United States.

Photographs of the J-20 stealth fighter jet prototype were circulating on online military forums, the Global Times said, but it did not confirm the flight nor the authenticity of the photographs.

The photos could not be verified by Reuters.

The popular tabloid, owned by the Communist Party mouthpiece, the People's Daily, showed a photograph of a grey fighter plane and a caption that said "an alleged J-20 prototype prepares to take off" from an airfield in Chengdu in southwestern Sichuan province on Sunday.

The aircraft made several passes and waggled its wings to salute the crowd near the airfield," the Global Times quoted an anonymous person as saying.

China's Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reports of China's first test-flight of the J-20 in early January had been widely circulated on Chinese Internet blogs and online news sites including the Global Times before the government confirmed the flight during a visit by U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates.

The claims of a successful second test flight for the advanced fighter follow China's warning in late March that it faced an increasingly volatile Asian region where the United States has expanded its strategic footprint.

Some analysts have said that the first few photos of the J-20 suggest that China may be making faster-than-expected progress in developing a rival to Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor, the world's only operational stealth fighter designed to evade detection by radar.

The latest pictures may heighten concern about China's military build-up, including possible deployment in 2011 of its first aircraft carrier and a new anti-ship ballistic missile that is seen as a threat to U.S. aircraft carriers.

Chinese military and political sources say Beijing could launch its first aircraft carrier in 2011, a year earlier than U.S. military analysts had expected.

Hooray !!! Pakistan should have this plane immediately !!!

[Moorkh]

second flight?

as a prototype it should have been tested several times already.

maybe they are talking about another prototype.

[rcrmj]

maybe the second 'public' flight`` CCP is the worst senario to reveal any sensitive infos`

[tallboy123]

Second flight??
or second prototype??

[applesauce]

Second flight??
or second prototype??

there is already 2 planes, one with the russian engines and one wit the chinese engines, this is the second flight that we know about

[Nomenclature]

second flight?

as a prototype it should have been tested several times already.

maybe they are talking about another prototype.

In this case, second flight means "second flight near densely populated urban area to make sure everyone sees it".

[a_chinese]

why is pakistan so anxious for this plane? your not getting this plane not untill china deploys hundreds

[ChineseTiger1986]

why is pakistan so anxious for this plane? your not getting this plane not untill china deploys hundreds

If J-20 is operational in 2015, then Pakistan is likely to get it before 2020, more likely between 2018-2020.

[Huan]

Someday after it's ready, J-20's in service should be in the 500+'s.

[Peace Sells no one buying]

why is pakistan so anxious for this plane? your not getting this plane not untill china deploys hundreds

No kidding. It's not like this plane is going to solve their economic, political, social, energy, and infrastructure problems . . . ? But please, go ahead and go ahead and rush out and try to get these planes Pakistan!

[BelligerentPacifist]

why is pakistan so anxious for this plane? your not getting this plane not untill china deploys hundreds

OK go ahead and support your statement...at least show us that Pakistan is even a little bit interested in this plane. Eager? Intrigued maybe.

[Mech]

PAF has historically maintained a finer taste in aircrafts. They have operated some of the best frontline fighters out there until late. What makes the chinese think they will go for a hyped up, untested aircraft? Their standards and benchmarks are really quite high. I think this is also one of the reasons they decided to develop the jf-17 instead of buying 'off the mill' chinese rip offs.

[tanlixiang28776]

PAF has historically maintained a finer taste in aircrafts. They have operated some of the best frontline fighters out there until late. What makes the chinese think they will go for a hyped up, untested aircraft? Their standards and benchmarks are really quite high. I think this is also one of the reasons they decided to develop the jf-17 instead of buying 'off the mill' chinese rip offs.

You really like trolling don't you?

[Obambam]

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PAF has historically maintained a finer taste in aircrafts. They have operated some of the best frontline fighters out there until late. What makes the chinese think they will go for a hyped up, untested aircraft? Their standards and benchmarks are really quite high. I think this is also one of the reasons they decided to develop the jf-17 instead of buying 'off the mill' chinese rip offs.

I sense anger and resentment in the above statement.

Nope, the purpose of joint development was to allow for further understanding of the technology, a sign of friendship and it will help Pakistan in the long run. The bit about Chinese rip offs was uncalled for. There is little out there to proof that modern Chinese technology is inferior to Soviet technology in any way. I am sure if JF-17 was a poor quality product, then our Pakistani brothers wouldn't be talking about it ever so proudly.

History involves a lot of copying and improving. Just like how the west took the idea of the compass and gunpowder from China and made improvements on them. Just like how USA took work from the Germans and Japanese after the world war etc etc.
It is a crime to copy and make inferior products then make money from it. But it is not a crime to make improvements on the 'alleged' copied product and then use it or make money from it.