Deino, when knowing what is the gear-box used for in the aircraft, e.g. creating mechanical and electrical output to drive many on board specific systems like hydraulic, fuel, flight and electrical systems, ….etc, in the meaning that locating gearbox on the bottom side of the Al-31 engine was surely not only one custom feature and a difference between the F vs FN. Or is it known that the J-10 on board systems are identical to the Flanker? Not telling the conversion is impossible, but doubt that Chinese are so dumb to do it on their own, not to mention on some heavy maintenance plant level. I know that you think of them very highly, but recently I;ve heard reports that their helicopter engineers were not even able to replace old russian APU`s to a new western ones and do it alone. Instead they have hired foreigners to do the engineering design and installation for them. So, from my POW it is a total nonsense.
regards
M
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