China unveils a mysterious fighter jet. Beijing could use it to show off something new, experts suspect. It could be used to attack targets from space or in space. That could give China an edge in a key technology, according to Welt.
China is joining the race for the next generation of fighter jets. The Zhuhai Airshow, which starts on November 8, will feature a model of a fighter jet that could have come straight out of a sci-fi movie.
The aircraft, codenamed Ultravic, is likely to be a concept for the so-called 6th generation of fighter jets, industry insiders say. According to the inscriptions on the stand, the Chinese model will be able to perform long-distance flights even in weightlessness.
This would likely make it possible to attack targets from space or in space itself. Already, space is considered the battlefield of the future. Social media is talking about a new dimension as Beijing now unveils the world’s first warplane in space. However, it is still completely open at what stage of development the project is currently at and whether it will ever materialize.
The 6th generation of fighter jets is considered to be the next major technological step. The new model being designed by Germany, France and Spain under the multibillion-dollar FCAS program, for example, belongs to this future generation, although the aircraft is not expected to be operational before 2040.
Great Britain and Sweden want to enter the market with the Tempest model in 2035, while in the USA secret developments are already taking place with the abbreviation NGDA (Next Generation Air Dominance). A first model of an FCAS jet was shown at the 2019 Le Bourget air show, followed by the July 2022 presentation of the Tempest in Farnborough, UK – and now China is causing a stir.
On social media, the China Future Fighter Jet is described as a mix of toy aircraft such as the ADF-01 Falcon and movie models such as the F/A 37 Talon, which are equipped with laser weapons. The model shown at the show (the bottom two images in the tweet below) has two engines and room for a pilot. It is not known if there will be any details about the fighter aircraft during the exhibition.
Special technology for a space jet
If the aircraft is indeed designed for space missions, special propulsion technology will be required. The MiG-25 and MiG-31 fighter jets, which were developed in the Soviet Union, are among the highest-altitude fighter jets, with a height of over 22 km, i.e. in the stratosphere. But these are not yet missions into the void of space.
Industry experts agree that the missions of the 6th generation fighter jets will be supported by artificial intelligence and the models will be accompanied by several unmanned large drones. Numerous drones of various sizes will also be on display at the Zhuhai Air Show (until November 13).
To accompany fighter jets, some of them have rotating thruster nozzles – experts call them thrust vectoring – which give them super maneuverability in the air. Also on display will be the ten-meter-long MD-22 unmanned aerial vehicle, which is said to have already flown at eight times the speed of sound and is considered a test platform for hypersonic weapons.
Against the backdrop of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and Beijing’s assertion of power in Taiwan, experts are watching with interest to see what types of drones, aircraft, guided weapons or missiles Beijing will showcase at the show. This points to future trends in weapons development, they say.
The exhibition will also showcase new developments in weaponry, such as anti-aircraft missile systems or a giant 1,000kg bomb that flies to its target under laser control.
Apparently to demonstrate its past successes in fighter aircraft manufacturing, the show with more than 700 exhibitors is expected to make the first public presentation of China’s most advanced fighter jet to date, the Chengdu J-20 stealth model. So far, the aircraft has only been shown in flyovers.
This model made its maiden flight in 2011 and has been in service with the armed forces for five years. With this fighter jet, China is trying to catch up with the technology of the most powerful US fighter jet, Lockheed Martin’s F-22. The show will obviously feature developments in engine design, which until now has been a weakness of the Chinese compared to American engines.
Among the highlights in the political sector of the show is the unveiling of the C919 model, China’s competitor and answer to Airbus and Boeing’s successful A320 and B737 aircraft families. After several delays, the C919 model, which was largely developed in China itself, received its certification for the Chinese market in September.
