Shenyang J-31
| J-31 | |
|---|---|
_at_the_2014_Zhuhai_Air_Show.jpg) |
|
| FC-31 #31001 technology demonstrator at the 2014 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition | |
| Role | Stealth multirole fighter |
| National origin | China |
| Manufacturer | Shenyang Aircraft Corporation |
| Designer | Shenyang Aircraft Corporation |
| First flight | 31 October 2012 (technology demonstrator) 23 December 2016 (prototype) |
| Introduction | 2018-19 (estimated) |
| Status | Flight testing |
| Number built | 2 prototypes |
The Shenyang J-31 (or "FC-31 fifth Generation Multi-Purpose Medium Fighter") also known as the "Gyrfalcon" (鹘鹰), or "Falcon Hawk" by some military enthusiasts, is a twin-engine, mid-size fifth-generation jet fighter currently under development by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. The fighter has also been referred to as the "F-60" or "J-21 Snowy Owl" (雪鸮) in some media reports. Its official name is Shenyang FC-31; J-xx nomenclatures in the Chinese military are reserved to programs launched and financed by the army, while this plane was developed by a private company.
A photo of a model labeled F-60 was posted on the Internet in September 2011. In June 2012, photos and camera video clips started to emerge on internet about a heavily overwrapped possible F-60 prototype being road-transferred on a highway, earning the nickname "the zongzi plane" (粽子机) among Chinese netizens, though some suspect it of merely being a L-15 trainer aircraft. Pictures of a possibly fully assembled aircraft parking on an airfield emerged on September 15–16, 2012. The F-60 is reported to be the export version, where the J-31 would be the domestic Chinese version of the same fighter. Chinese aviation expert Xu Yongling has called the J-31 an export-oriented low-end latest generation warplane.
The prototype conducted a high-speed taxiing test and briefly became airborne. On 31 October 2012, prototype No. 31001 conducted the model's maiden flight. It was accompanied by two J-11 fighters in a ten-minute test flight with its landing gear lowered.
With the maiden test flight of the prototype No.31001 on October 31, 2012, China became the second nation after the 1991 Advanced Tactical Fighter fly off, to have two stealth fighter designs in field-testing at the same time. The aircraft has continued a limited test program, with footage emerging of further flights which took place in February 2013.
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