New pictures show second Chinese stealth fighter being test flown

Security Clearance

A jet fighter with stealth characteristics was test flown this week in China. (Photo from cjdby.net)

A jet fighter with stealth characteristics was test flown this week in China. (Photo from cjdby.net)

WASHINGTON (CNN) - CNN has obtained detailed photographs of a new stealth fighter being tested in China.

It is the second such stealth fighter China has tested in as many years and appears destined to become the communist nation's future aircraft carrier-based fighter jet, according to weapons analysts.

The plane, dubbed by outsiders as the J-31, was test flown Tuesday in Shenyang. According to the analysts, the two photographs obtained by CNN appear to have been leaked by officials in China.

J-31 Chinese fighter jet. (Photo cjdby.net)

"It has to be an official photographer because nobody else can get that close to the airplane," said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org. "These are all publicity photos from the factory, and I could not imagine that the factory would publicize these things without somebody higher up in the food chain authorizing it."

Richard Fisher, a senior fellow in Asian military affairs at the International Assessment and Strategy Center (IASC), agrees these are not pictures sent out surreptitiously by some Chinese aviation aficionado. "The Internet censors are controlling this process, have no doubt that."

But Fisher said the reason for the release may not be as threatening as some might imagine.

"It's being done in a way to help promote pro-military nationalism in China. There's just a huge, large audience in China for this kind of information. It's kind of like NASCAR."

No matter who let the pictures go public, they won't answer all the questions surrounding China's fighter program. "They don't want to reveal anything that's truly useful to a foreign military or intelligence service," Fisher said.

In January 2011, China tested the J-20, a fighter jet with stealth characteristics, much like the American F-22.

J-20 Chinese fighter jet. (Photo from IHS/Janes)

Fisher said the J-31 appears be a lighter fighter jet similar to the American F-35.

"The J-20 is the heavy stealth fighter, (The J-31) is going to be the medium-weight stealth fighter. It's very much in the same vein as the F-22 versus the F-35, with the Raptor, the F-22 being the heavy fifth-generation fighter for the U.S. Air Force versus the medium-weight F-35."

Pike said that could be the case, but it may be that China is test flying both prototypes and will choose just one to put into production.

While these are both fifth-generation fighter jets, that doesn't put them on par with America's two newest fighters.

For example, Pike said China's jet engines just don't come close to American engines. "This is a sucking chest wound of Chinese military aviation."

Pike said the primary Chinese military jet engine is based on an American design. "We started development of this engine back in the '60s. Then they commercialized it in the 1970s. Then the Chinese got a hold of it 20 years ago and it's still no good. It's a half century-old design that they've been working on for two decades, and it's still no good."

Fisher has a higher opinion of that engine. "It's not entirely true that China is currently facing massive problems. They've actually had some measure of success."

And Fisher said China appears to be developing a brand new engine for the J-31. "The engines that will likely power the J-31 we do know a bit more about. Those engines were actually revealed at the Zhuhai show in 2008," Fisher said referring to an annual China air show. He believes the new J-31 engine is undergoing preliminary testing.

Another problem is the stealth characteristics of the plane.

The J-31 is designed to have a stealthy shape. "From the side profile, it really looks like a 75% (scale) F-22 from the bottom, and the top profile it very much looks like an F-35."

The J-31 may have the stealth coatings that help it absorb radar signals instead of letting them bounce off and give away its position.  More >>