Three-engine super fighter 'J-36' spotted flying again in China
The Chinese sixth-generation aircraft, unofficially designated J-36, has again conducted a test flight in recent days, as shown by images and videos posted on Chinese social media.
The three-engine stealth jet had first appeared on December 26, when it flew alongside a J-20S fighter.
The aircraft is attributed to Chengdu, the manufacturer of China’s most advanced fighter, the J-20, and whose role in the PLAAF (People’s Liberation Army Air Force) is unclear.
Some analysts believe the J-36 will be a strategic penetration strike aircraft, while others believe it is an air superiority fighter.
https://twitter.com/airwayaviation/status/1901931855525331005
The new flight of the three-jet was marked by the absence of a chase plane and the retraction of its landing gear.
The J-36 has a unique configuration, with two side air intakes and a third on the fuselage.
The option to equip it with three engines is also unusual and suggests that Chegndu preferred to use units already in production rather than develop a new, larger turbofan.
The new images show the supersonic jet with the control surfaces deployed on the trailing edge of the wings.
Since it does not have a tail for stealth reasons, the J-36 uses split wingtip surfaces to control yaw and also to be used as aerodynamic brakes, a solution similar to the US B-2.
The appearance of the aircraft on Chinese social media is intentional since the communist government controls the content that circulates in the posts.
Officially, the PLAAF has referred to the stealth aircraft that flew in December (there is another smaller fighter allegedly made by Shenyang), but so far no information or images have been released.
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