Originally posted by aerospacetech
RP-35 is Zhuk-M with a phased array antenna. No more, no less..

This explains pretty much a similar report from the Taiwan military intelligence which was published in Taiwan press about a miniturized Sokol being offered for the J-10 as “Zhuk-10PD”.

It was Kanwa who first disclosed that the Zhuk-M was under heavy consideration. To be more precise, the Zhemchug, which is a Sinicized variant of the Zhuk-M with lighter weight, and perhaps with support for things like PL-8s, much like the Zhuk-8II.

According to Taiwan intelligence, it’s a miniturized Sokol. Other publications claim the ELTA being studied.

This was all probably in a phase when the J-10 still has not picked its final radar.

Then Kanwa later disclosed late in 2002 that it was the Type 1473 radar instead (developed by NRIET). Obviously a decision was made to use local radars rather than foreign ones, at the expense of some delay.

It is possible given the large number of prototypes, different radars were competitively evaluated on different airframes (one having Type 1473, one having Zhuk, one having ELTA).

I believe the ELTA was heavily considered once, possibly as a payback for the Israeli help on the project. The ELTA 2035 which the 2032 was derived from, was developed on the Lavi test bed. ELTA didn’t make its presence a secret on the Chinese mainland, showing even a full page AD in a Chinese magazine complete with picture of DASH, ELTA 2032, telephone and fax number, and Beijing business address.

After the collapse of the Phalcon deal with US pressure, the Israeli alternative became doubtful and that’s where the Russians came in. Given how impressed the PLAAF was on the MKK, a solution of using Russian multirole radar became attractive, letting you use AAMs like the R-73 and R-77, as well as PGMs like the Kh-29T.

I think a factor that ultimately swayed the PLAAF to getting a local radar instead of the Russian radar is more than just political favoring of the local boy, it also has something to do with the SD-10 development progressing well, and possible PLANAF requirements for using indigenous AshMs (aka C-803), which in both cases, would best require a local radar and fire control system.

Outermost, Python 4 or 5, and innermost a Kh-31 (you need to sharpen the nose taper if this is the antiship variant).

From what I gathered with Vympel literature, this is the ranges of the R-77.

Ballistic (free flight) : 70km
Head On (target coming toward you) : 100km
Pursuit (target running away from you) : 45km

That particular J-8II is one of the first few prototypes. It probably went around some bases in the US long before Tianamen.

Originally posted by Vortex
[B]and the best he can make in 20 years is a copied “rocket” called silkworm. And the best rocket it was made needed American help to tell them where it went wrong :rolleyes:

Silkworm? Wow you’re totally far out. A Silkworm is an antiship missile.

What came out from the Chinese projects was a rocket similar to the Titan since it was Tseun Shue Wen who worked in the Titan in the beginning.

American help to fix? That sound ludicious actually, that the Long March rocket only has one flaw which had to require American ingenuity to fix. But then for course, that’s the story right wingers would like to portray, even though that’s not exactly Hughes said. According to the Chinese accounts, the rocket has several flaws, which required a few hundred changes all over the rocket to fix. That sounds a lot more plausible, than the story that it took one magic advice from an American to fix one flaw in the rocket and everything went well (implying that that it’s the only fault in an otherwise already perfect rocket, and the only problem had to be magically fixed by advice that coincidentally had to come from an American.)

Originally posted by Multirole
[B]I don’t see any TVC nozzle in that picture.

It is a TVC nozzle, and its not just a picture, but a video.

That video was shown in the Zhuhai airshow of 2002, and depicts Jiang Zhemin using a controller box making the nozzles turn around.

The Eurofighter is designed to be a twin engined fighter from the start. J-10 with two engines is only an internet rumor.

The J-10 with twin engines is NOT an Internet rumor. A computer graphic of it was shown by Chengdu AC in their anniversary article in a Chinese magazine. The graphic was shown in their CAD screens.

The development work of a twin engined J-10 like fighter was first mentioned by US Naval Intelligence, which also mentioned the plane having a pair of RD-33s.

They would have to completely redesign the fuselage. Changes in aerodynamics, in weight distribution, in the fuel lines and electical wiring. . . it just don’t make any sense from a practical point of view. Might as well make a new plane, a bigger plane that can haul more fuel.

Surprise surprise, it IS an entirely new plane and fuselage. The resemblence to the J-10 lies only in the general aerodynamic configuration and nothing more.

The plane resembles much more like the MiG MFI fighter complete with the twin canted tails.

But for convenience sake, people still refer to this model as the “twin engined” J-10.

For me, it appears more like one of Chengdu’s private proposals to compete against Shenyang AC (maker of J-11s) in the heavy fighter sector.