J-13 Raptor-wannabe

Don’t know if anyone here already seen these before.

For the photo analysts here,
http://military.china.com/zh_cn/important/64/20050509/12298339.html
is the first of six pages of photos of PLAAF aircraft cockpits. These first two photos are reportedly (top) the JH-7 (FBC-1) Fei Bao rear cockpit, and (bottom) the J-10 cockpit.

http://military.china.com/zh_cn/bbs/11018441/20050505/12289516.html
has a photo, reportedly taken at the Shen Yang Aircraft booth at a recent aerospace exhibition, that shows a few models of PLAAF actual and conceptual jet fighters, including the J-5, J-7, and J-13 Raptor-wannabe.

OTOH,
http://jczs.sina.com.cn/2005-05-10/1602287541.html
has a photo of an all-terrain golf cart, equipped with a 12.7 mm sniper rifle. Made in China.

I just saw the model kit of the “Ka-58 Black Ghost” at a hobby shop today.

For those who haven’t seen it,
http://www.aviapress.com/engl/zvd/zvd7232.jpg
http://www.fair-strike.com/eng/Ka58.html
have its pic.

> How the hell did you think non-supersonic Harriers ended up with a 32-0 record against better performing machines?

Because the brave Argies were far, far from home base, needed in-flight refuelling to reach the Falklands, especially after the withdrawal of the 25 de Mayo, and they were mostly tasked with attacking the British warships instead of the British fighters?

http://jiatelin.jschina.com.cn/pla/s70.htm
has an article in Chinese (China), with photos, that reviews the S-70C Black Hawk that the PLA operated in the Xin Jiang and Xi Zhuang regions in western China.
Because spare parts are unavailable, they are replaced by the Mi-17 Hip H.

] And in fact before I typed that other post I was comparing various pictures of the Lavi and J-10. I can’t think of two other planes that look as similar as those two that aren’t related to one another in terms of the designers of one plane helping with the design of the newer one.

For comparison, the European Jaguar attacker and the Japanese T-2 trainer also look like twins separated at birth, but AFAIK, the designers of one plane didn’t help with the design of the other plane. The Japanese designers claimed they developed the F-1 fighter-attacker from the T-2 by removing the rear cockpit and adding extra equipment in that space.

] The PLAAF already has the Python 3. It’s produced as the PL-8 in China, and has already been seen on the J-10. And the J-8II.

IIRC, when Wang Wei’s PLAN J-8II and the USN EP-3E collided on 1 April 2001, his and his wingman’s J-8II were carrying the Israel-inspired AAMs, but the USA didn’t complain about it.

] Israel has been penalized by the US after her past behavior and deals with China according to the current US administration.

In recent months, the USA forced Israel to not upgrade some PLA UAVs, and also limited Israeli participation in the F-35 programme.

If the Pakistani AF ever flies the J-10, though I think Russia disallows the export of the RD-33 engine on the J-10, then because the J-10 is based on the Lavi originally developed by Israel, this would be as ironic as the Iranian AF flying the F-4, F-5, and F-14, IMO. Or the several Eastern European NATO members flying all those MiGs, Mils, and Sukhois.

] As for me, it seems like, it has more to do with the western minds inability to cope with the fact that China who earlier have been building mainly copied and cheaper versions of the Russian a/c cud come up with a real good platform, which has a good potential to tilt the balance in China’s favour.

The other concurrent, mostly domestically developed new-generation jet fighters aren’t as impressive though: the FC-1 Xiao Long (JF-17 Thunder), and JH-7 Fei Bao (FBC-1 Flying Leopard).

] Learn a bit of history please from 1960 to 1980. The Soviet Union and China was actually fighting over some piece of land in the borders.

Agreed. ISTR some months ago, Russia returned the border island on a lake or river to China.