The emergence of the new J-20 variant not only caused a sensation in the domestic military fan circle, but also attracted strong attention abroad. The American military media "The Drive" published an article to interpret it as soon as possible and praised it as "the new variant of the fighter jet we have been waiting for."
Thomas Newdick, the author of the article, studied this photo widely circulated by foreign media and pointed out that although the quality of the photo is too poor, it can still be seen that the serial number on the nose of this J-20 may be "2051", and the entire fighter aircraft is painted with the yellow primer scheme commonly used by Chinese military aircraft before entering service. In addition, it is understood that this new variant of the J-20 has not yet flown.
Although the quality of the photo is too poor to see all the changes made to the J-20 ( Chengfei ), (multiple obvious features) prove that this is a new version of the J-20 "Raptor" stealth fighter. This is often referred to as the J-20B, but it is worth noting that the same (unofficial) designation also applies to another two-seat version of the J-20. PS: For the convenience of writing, this improved model is collectively called J-20B.
Same as the previous production batch, this J-20B is a single-seat model. However, there are obvious changes in the shape of the fuselage, which may indicate that Chengdu Aircraft is working hard to improve the aerodynamic performance and/or low observability quality (stealth capabilities) of the J-20. This passage may seem convoluted, but in fact what the author wants to express is actually very simple, which is to propose three possibilities for changes in the appearance of the J-20B fuselage: either to improve mobility; or to improve stealth capabilities; or both.
The biggest change is that the cockpit canopy of the fighter jet has changed. Compared with the J-20A, it is flatter and has a unique low-key appearance. One possible reason behind this change is the overall optimization of the J-20B's aerodynamic performance, with the flat canopy integrated into the raised back. This is similar to the design of the Chinese Navy's J-35 carrier-based stealth fighter, but due to the larger fuselage of the J-20B itself, it looks more coordinated (no top-heavy feeling).
From an aerodynamic point of view, this design can reduce the drag of the fuselage, thus enhancing performance and handling during transonic flight. Transonic flight status usually refers to the speed between Mach 0.8 and Mach 1.2, which is the main flight and air combat speed range of modern fighter jets. In addition, the J-20B has an enlarged back, which can provide more space for installing additional avionics or more fuel. In addition, considering that China's military technology is developing rapidly, the J-20B may also have upgraded avionics and sensors.
As for whether the J-20B has used the long-awaited turbofan-15 to replace the current turbofan-10C engine, Thomas Newdick said that he could not confirm for the time being. He believes that although the WS-15 is considered the most suitable engine for the J-20, so far, this powerful Chinese engine has lagged behind the development curve of the J-20.
Andreas Rupprecht, another military expert, told The Drive that while there is plenty of information suggesting that a J-20 variant powered by the WS-15 will appear “soon,” according to eyewitness accounts, the J-20B apparently appears to retain its previous WS-10C engine. Even the most optimistic scenario involves just one WS-15 being installed for testing. Thomas Newdik pointed out that either way, at least for the first part of its flight test program, it is not surprising that the J-20B is equipped with the more mature and reliable turbofan-10C. Only when aerodynamic changes and adjustments to the J-20B are finalized can the turbofan-15 be installed.
Regarding whether this image of the J-20B may be PS, Thomas Newdick’s opinion is that we cannot completely guarantee the authenticity of these photos, but we cannot deny their authenticity. He pointed out that in the past, such images of many new models in Western countries were wrongly labeled as fakes until a steady stream of more reliable photos and videos emerged that confirmed the previous images were genuine.
The J-20 has largely followed this path, with its debut and subsequent improvements brought to light by a series of blurry images. And the time when the J-20B image appeared this time is also very special. December 22, 12 years ago, was the day when the first J-20 prototype was undergoing taxiing tests. With that in mind, it's very possible that these photos do show a new J-20 variant, although that doesn't mean it's called the J-20B (and we can't be certain that such a designation exists). However, it is only a matter of time before an improved version of the J-20 appears.
Thomas Newdick also talked about the possibility of the J-20B using thrust vector control (TVC) technology. He pointed out that thrust vector control technology can not only provide additional improvements in maneuverability and optimized performance, but also improve the stealth quality of the J-20 by reducing canard deflection during flight. Different types of thrust vector engines , coincidentally or not, are also a major feature of the industry booth at this year's Zhuhai Air Show. Although the thrust vectoring version of the WS-10 engine has been tested on the J-10B fighter aircraft , it is not certain that the same technology has been used on the J-20B.
At the end of the article, Thomas Newdik pointed out that at present, the J-20 is still the only stealth fighter of the People's Liberation Army Air Force that can be used in actual combat. The exact number of J-20s to date is unknown, but estimates generally range from 70 to 150. The emergence of the two-seat version last year and the continued delivery of the standard version of the J-20A indicate that the J-20 project is operating at an impressive speed, and the emergence of the J-20B further strengthens the J-20's status in the People's Liberation Army Air Force.
The author believes that Thomas Newdick’s analysis of the J-20B in this article is generally quite impressive, and does not deliberately belittle the J-20B because of the United States’ hostile attitude towards China. However, some of Thomas Newdick's views are still open to question. For example, Thomas Newdik still has doubts about the J-20B's supersonic cruise . He pointed out in the article: "Regardless of the thrust vector control technology (TVC) issue, the introduction of the turbofan-15 will be the next logical step and may enable the J-20 to maintain supersonic cruise without afterburners." To put it simply, he does not believe that the current J-20 has the capability of supersonic cruise.
In fact, Chinese officials have already confirmed that the J-20 already has supersonic cruise capabilities during the stage of using Russian-made engines. However, due to the smaller military thrust of the Russian-made AL-31F-M1 engine, the J-20's supercruise speed at this stage is low. If it wants to reach the same level of supercruise speed as the F-22, it needs to partially turn on the afterburner, so the range will be affected. After being replaced with a domestically produced turbofan-10C engine, since the military thrust has reached the level of the US-made F119-PW-100, the J-20's supercruit capability at this stage is considered to be able to reach the level of the F-22, that is, it can fly at a speed of Mach 1.5 for half an hour. The J-20B has a drag reduction design (relevant papers show that the drag reduction effect of the J-35 using the same drag reduction design can reach 10%) and increased internal oil. Theoretically, the J-20B will have a higher supercruise speed.
In addition, regarding the issue of the J-20B using the turbofan-15 engine , unless there is more direct evidence, the mainstream of domestic and foreign analysts still have reservations. However, even if the J-20B continues to use the turbofan-10C engine, the overall performance of the J-20B can still be greatly improved through a series of improvements such as reducing external drag, increasing internal oil, and upgrading avionics.
