I came across a blog entry claiming that Pakistan
and China
plan to co-develop a 'fourth generation stealth fighter' called the J-2X. The
images below first appeared on the Asian Defence News blog site.
The aircraft looks like a hodgepodge of existing types -
none of them stealthy. The J-2X's clipped delta wing is reminiscent of the F-16
and JF-17, the intakes scream F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, and the tail plane,
again, is very F-16.
Is this for real? Possibly. Chengdu and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex
worked closely on the JF-17 programme, with this aircraft steadily entering
service in the Pakistan Air Force. Based on these rudimentary images the J-2X
would not appear to offer much over the Chengdu J-10B, of which Pakistan
reportedly signed for 36 in 2009, though this deal has yet to be officially
confirmed. CATIC reps just smile and shake their head when I ask them
about it.
Then again, with the JF-17 put to bed Pakistan will presumably
want to keep its aerospace engineers busy. Military aircraft
have far more to do with politics and jobs than with defence requirements and
common sense.
Perhaps the J-2X will join other regional fighter programmes, such as India's
medium combat aircraft (MCA), Tokyo's ATD-X, and the KF-X that will be developed
by Seoul and Jakarta.
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