Too less pixels I would say, but looks like a Medium range Bomber/Missile Carrier.

I never thought of that!

What role do you perceive for the J 20, I am thinking strike fighter or interceptor.

I thought that the J-20 was some sort of Chinese Air Dominance Fighter, like how the F-22A was originally conceived.

These factors have affected every aircraft and are solved. I agree in this instance the challenge is greater but the largest obstacle to this program I think is cost. Will cost vs capability provided actually be positive, it is very hard to comment at such an early stage.

The IR signature, by present general knowledge, limits ‘stealth’. What if whether it is seen or not being irrelevant? Such as it having a all aspect laser defence system (that would probably cost a bit too) or targeting emp system? This craft will already be very exotic, these type of systems may go hand in hand. Who knows what defence systems have already had proven demonstrated concepts in the ‘black world’.

Edit; additionally I think Mach 6 should be taken as a general idea, previous programs have demonstrated mach 20 capability.

What aircraft programs are you referring to that can travel at mach 20?

there’s one little problem with hypersonic vehicles trying to be “discreet”: heat

when you fly that fast, you litterally glow for any IR detector that can manage to get its line of sight on you. Today we have the F-35 promoters boasting about the EODAS that detects stuff 360° around the aircraft… by the time you get anything really hypersonic into operational service, there, most certainly, will be passive detection systems that will allow to have IR detectors, equipped with wide angle lenses watching the sky… and if you come at it so fast, and at such altitude, they’ll spot you from really very far away ( you’d appear over the horizon at about 700km, that is if they are on sea or flat ground… shoudlo the detector be put on some mountain, it’s even further)… that would give a good 4 minutes for detection and intercepting the supersonic flyer… short time in peace time, but if we’re on alert, it’s more than enough (should a modern SAM system be on your way).

According to wikipedia (for what it’s worth) the S400 could go as high as 30km (pretty close to the 100000ft altitude) already, and intercept targets flying at 4.8km/s (which would be around Mach 17 ), and the S-500 is in the works

basically, such aircraft would be useful (and probably be overkill most of the time), but would still have to avoid areas with strong modern SAM coverage (against the “serious” opponents, basically)

You are right about heat being a major problem for hypersonic aircraft, but don’t you think that by the time that the SR-72 enters service around 2030 that Lockheed might have come up with a way to dissipate heat from the aircraft without compromising the aerodynamics?

This is a classic example of the novel ways that Defense Contractors come up with in this country to waste tax payers $$ .

All these years we were told that STEALTH is the holy grail of penetrating enemy defenses .

Eventually , the Pentagon & Defense Contractors have realized that this is no longer the case due to the proliferation of counter stealth technology ( primarily Russian) the world over .

Now , we are being told that HYPERSONIC speed is the counter to counter stealth .

I hope realization draws on these individuals that the S 300V and S 400 already have the capability of firing hypersonic surface to air missiles that can travel a lot faster than the SR 72 .

Perhaps Lockheed will know this and combine Hypersonic speed (Mach 10+) and Stealth to the SR-72. Oh by the way I forgot to add altitude (100,000 ft+) to the equation.

What happens if the UK cancels the F-35B order outright? With no replacement being designed between now and say 2020 where would that leave the UK air defense? That by the way is the worst case scenario.

The Aurora!

We have all heard about the Aurora through the press reporting about the strange contrails in California in the late 1980s early 1990s, could the Aurora be an early flying testbed for this program or was it something else?

I think a dream would involve some MiG31EQ with R37s in Iraqi service! 😀

Don’t think that would happen mate! The MiG-31 production line has been shut since the early 1990s. On that point, if Iraq wait’s a few years then they might want to order the successor to the MiG-31 sometime around 2020/2025.