Recently, photos of another two-seat J-20 fighter prototype have been publicly circulated on the Internet. This is the first time that a close-up high-definition frontal photo of the two-seat J-20 has been circulated.

Recently, photos of another two-seat J-20 fighter prototype have been publicly circulated on the Internet. This is the first time that a close-up high-definition frontal photo of the J-20 two-seater has been circulated. As can be seen from the picture, this is the second prototype of the J-20 two-seat model. The number 2032 on the side of the fuselage is very obvious, while the fuselage number of the first J-20 two-seat prototype previously exposed is It's 2031. According to the analysis of the pictures of the No. 2 prototype numbered 2032, all the onboard equipment of this fighter has been installed. The only difference may be that the fighter still has the original yellow primer and has not been sprayed with stealth coating and low-visibility paint.

From the characteristics analysis of this two-seat aircraft, the nose active phased array radar , EOTS system, avionics, and built-in magazine have been installed. All three magazines of this fighter jet are open. At a glance, there is not much difference between the two-seat version of the J-20 and the single-seat version of the J-20. The obvious appearance feature of both sides is the cockpit. The cockpit of the two-seat version of the J-20 is larger. , using a longer double cockpit cover. U.S. military expert Dino wrote on his personal social account that the two-seater version of the J-20 has also been equipped with the more advanced vector engine . However, there are currently no clear photos of the details of the J-20 two-seater engine, and the U.S. expert cannot be sure. View.

What is even more attractive is that the J-20 two-seat fighter in the picture is warming up for takeoff. The canopy has been opened and the boarding ladder is in place, ready for flight testing at any time.

Picture source Internet intrusion and deletion

American expert Dino claimed that the two-seat version of the J-20 is the J-20AS model. However, many American media believe that the two-seat J-20 model may be developed by the People's Liberation Army based on the latest improved J-20B fighter. According to the naming rules of the People's Liberation Army, it should be named the J-20BS fighter, and the two-seat model of the J-11B is named the J-11BS model. The J-20BS can be said to be the only two-seat stealth fighter in the world at present. The US media generally believes that China was accelerating the construction of the two-seat J-20 stealth fighter that year to lay out its future combat configuration.

The future air battlefield will not only be the stage for traditional fighter aircraft, but more advanced unmanned combat aircraft with a richer variety and more powerful performance will also play an important role, such as the loyal wingmen being developed by China, the United States and Russia. More drones and advanced control platforms will significantly increase intelligence data and situation awareness capabilities. Under the pressure of complex intelligence processing and timely decision-making, the original single-seat pilot of the stealth fighter cannot Synchronization and decision-making tasks must be completed in a timely manner. Overly complex and cumbersome tasks will in turn affect the pilot's effectiveness. A pilot cannot do too many things at the same time.

In this case, the two-seat stealth fighter is particularly important. The two pilots on board have a clear division of labor and have great advantages in comparison. The pilot in the front seat focuses on flying and air combat without having to deal with other trivial matters, while the pilot in the back seat focuses on processing battlefield data or directing military operations of a group of loyal wingmen. And with the improvement of fighter system automation and AI technology, two pilots can be competent in more complex military operations, absorb sufficient battlefield information and make the best tactical decisions.

US experts believe that China is also developing a series of loyal wingmen for stealth fighters. The Hidden Arrow UAV developed by AVIC is an example. The J-20BS can use its backseat pilot and advanced avionics to provide battlefield surveillance, Combat management and intelligence analysis and other tasks, while using advanced sensors and data links to link loyal wingman groups to conduct coordinated operations, such as air combat, ground attack, battlefield reconnaissance, electromagnetic interference and other tasks. The combat effectiveness of a stealth fighter commanding a group of stealth unmanned wingmen cannot be underestimated. The control network composed of dozens of aircraft is hundreds of kilometers wide and covers an area of ​​hundreds of square kilometers. The J-20BS can completely command a group of unmanned aerial vehicles and launch a war For tactical/operational level strike missions, the J-20BS can serve as the command center behind the scenes, maximizing the advantages of ensuring the survivability of the stealth fighter itself, and ensuring the survivability of the aircraft to the greatest extent on the battlefield.

It can be said that China has taken the first step in linking two-seat stealth fighters and loyal wingmen. This is a practical action of great significance. The two-seat stealth fighters of the United States and Russia have either been developed but the project has been cancelled, or they are currently in the initial stage. There is a big gap between the progress and China. This almost indicates that China will become the first in the world to equip a two-seat stealth fighter. The country will maintain its first-mover advantage in this field.