China’s Shenyang Aircraft Industry Group Expo Park recently publicly displayed the FC-31 stealth fighter. Judging from the public photos, although the internal wiring and equipment of the FC-31 have been completely removed, some improved details can still be seen. The most conspicuous is the belly bay design, which is very close to that of the J-20.
Some military analyst believes that both the depth and the width of the weapons bay are similar to those of the J-20. This probably means that weapons for China’s first stealth fighter J-20, such as the PL-15 air-to-air missile, are being ‘transplanted’ to the FC-31.
This improvement direction is also in line with China’s consistent design thinking, which can not only reduce the difficulty of research and development, but also reduce logistical pressure, and there would be no need to separately develop a new type of air-to-air missile for the FC-31.
FC-31 has always been regarded by the outside world as a new generation of carrier-based aircraft of China, against the US F-35 stealth fighter. If the FC-31 is compatible with the J-20’s “air killer” PL-15 missile, it will get a huge advantage in the future battle for maritime air supremacy.
The PL-15 air-to-air missile is the latest generation of air-to-air missiles of China with a focus on radar design. It has an anti-jamming data link and an increased detection range. With a double pulse solid rocket engine, its range reaches 400 kilometers, which is amazing.
A model of the FC-31 from an AVIC Shenyang office was found painted with the Chinese military logo last May, indicating that the jet was likely to have been accepted by the Chinese military.
