originally thought that the J-H series aircraft would gradually withdraw from the stage of history with the emergence of more advanced fighters, but a suspected test flight of the J-26 real aircraft once again set off an uproar, which made many netizens marvel that China has once again created a new combat form of J-H aircraft.
It is understood that the J-26 may have adopted a unique structure without a vertical tail with canard wings, with a maximum take-off weight of 50 tons, and has stealth capabilities, pointing directly at the enemy aircraft carrier! So, what is the origin of this J-26? What kind of threat can it pose to enemy aircraft carriers?
J-26: a new life for fighter-bombers
From its name, it can be seen that the J-26 belongs to the category of fighter-bombers, and this designation means that the aircraft will have both the maneuverability of a fighter and the strike ability of a bomber.
During the Cold War, fighter-bombers were noted for their versatility, and both the United States and the Soviet Union were actively developing aircraft in this category. However, with the rise of fifth-generation stealth fighters, the status of fighter-bombers gradually declined. Fifth-generation stealth fighters are in the spotlight with their superior maneuverability and survivability, and to reach this level it is often necessary to sacrifice a certain amount of firepower strike capabilities.
In short, for modern advanced aircraft, maneuverability and firepower strike capabilities are often difficult to balance. Fighters and bombers are developing in the direction of their respective specializations, and more and more advanced aircraft have emerged, such as China's J-20, the United States' F22 and F35, etc.
At present, no matter which fighter-bomber is in service, its maneuverability is not comparable to that of the fifth-generation fighter, and it is not even comparable to the *** fighter. For bombers, some old models such as the H-6 and B52 are even better in some aspects, and the application occasions are becoming more and more limited. Therefore, it is generally believed that fighter-bombers will gradually fade out of the stage of history.
However, why should China buck the trend and remain committed to building the J-26, an advanced aircraft?
New Trend: New features of the fighter-bomber of the J-26
First of all, the existence of the J-26 is still a mystery, although it is only a folk rumor, but these rumors cannot be completely ignored. The current state of fighter-bombers is rather sluggish, and if China is developing the J-26, reason tells us that it will not simply continue traditional technology.
In modern warfare, the stealth performance of aircraft is crucial. Therefore, if the J-26 is really under development, it is almost certain that it will be a stealth aircraft. However, this also raises the question: how to solve the problem of stealth performance in the face of the challenge of a maximum take-off weight of up to 50 tons?
The research and development of stealth technology has always been a difficult task, even for the J-20 with a maximum take-off weight of 37 tons, it is also facing considerable challenges. However, while the maximum take-off weight of 50 tons is relatively small, it still comes at a great cost to achieve this level of stealth performance. Compared with the maximum take-off weight of 170 tons of the American B2 bomber, there is still a certain gap between the J-26 and the 26.
Despite the technical difficulties, given China's current level of technology, it is feasible to build a small stealth fighter of about 50 tons by investing more resources. In addition, the non-vertical tail with canard wing structure adopted by the J-26 is the key to achieving stealth technology, reducing the reflection of radar waves, combined with absorbing materials, it is expected to disappear on traditional radars. This novel layout structure has been applied to the B2 bomber, and is widely used in the future research and development of the sixth generation fighter, becoming a trend in aircraft development.
According to rumors, the J-26 may be equipped with a dedicated turbofan 15 engine instead of a turbofan 20 with more thrust, mainly due to size considerations. In terms of maneuverability, although it is inferior to the J-20, it is expected to be able to compete with some fourth-and-a-half-generation fighters. As for endurance, since the positioning of the J-26 is not a strategic bomber, combined with the situation of the J-7, the maximum range is expected to be between 2,000 and 3,000 kilometers, which can basically meet China's needs for operations in the "first island chain".
In addition, the J-26 may be equipped with a built-in large bomb bay, thus becoming a "firepower version of the J-20". These new characteristics make the J-26 a highly anticipated new generation fighter-bomber.
Threat lurking: The unique impact of the J-26 on U.S. aircraft carriers
The J-26's performance figures may not be as impressive as the B2 bomber and J-20 fighter, but it poses more of a threat to U.S. aircraft carriers than the latter two. Ordinary bombers are difficult to strike in the air defense network of aircraft carriers, and even B2 bombers are only relatively stronger in survivability, and do not solve the limitations of maneuverability. Under the developed air defense systems of modern countries, the effect of bombers striking aircraft carrier groups may not be ideal.
Fighters, although highly maneuverable, have limited anti-ship capabilities. For example, the J-20 is mainly used in air-to-air combat and lacks anti-ship capabilities. Even fifth-generation carrier-based aircraft at sea have limited striking effects on enemy aircraft carriers due to the small built-in bomb bay. Therefore, in order to effectively strike an aircraft carrier group, a fighter-bomber with both maneuverability and stealth combat capabilities is needed.
The J-26 excels in this field, with its built-in large bomb bay that can carry anti-ship missiles such as YJ-21 and YJ-91, and can even be used as an air-launch platform for DF-21D. The J-26 has strong firepower, and if our aircraft carriers participate in the firepower strike, it is expected to play a key role in tearing apart the enemy's defense network, causing damage to the enemy's aircraft carriers. You may ask, the J-26 is not a carrier-based aircraft, and the range of more than 2000 kilometers is insufficient?
In response to this problem, if the J-26 is developed, its application scenario may be in the context of recovering Taiwan and defending China's interests in the "first island chain". Considering the relative distance of Taiwan, the J-26 departs from a coastal airfield, and the one-way fuel tank may still have half of the fuel, and its advantages are obvious for a possible "operation against Taiwan".