{"id":1535959,"date":"2022-07-02T06:35:03","date_gmt":"2022-07-02T10:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1535959"},"modified":"2022-07-02T06:36:25","modified_gmt":"2022-07-02T10:36:25","slug":"chinas-j-20-fighter-jet-has-both-u-s-and-russian-dna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinas-j-20-fighter-jet-has-both-u-s-and-russian-dna\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s J-20 Fighter Jet Has Both U.S. and Russian DNA"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fchinas-j-20-fighter-jet-has-both-u-s-and-russian-dna%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1535959&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>China has a long and established history of borrowing (or outright stealing) designs, technologies, and even entire aircraft from its competitors, and evidence suggests the nation\u2019s premiere stealth fighter, the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon, is no exception. <\/p>\n<p>The J-20 was the world\u2019s first non-American stealth platform to enter operational service, effectively ending Uncle Sam\u2019s 34-year monopoly on low-observability that stretched all the way back to 1983. As the J-20 entered service, many within both the United States <em>and<\/em> Russia accused the People\u2019s Republic of China of stealing their stealth fighter designs to hurry their own jet into service. <\/p>\n<p>There is certainly evidence and historical precedent to back up these assertions, but the J-20 doesn\u2019t look <em>exactly<\/em> like any other 5th generation entry. That\u2019s likely not because the J-20 is an entirely original design, however. It\u2019s probably because the J-20 <em>steals elements from at least three different fighter programs<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/how-do-the-worlds-stealth-fighters-really-stack-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> How do the world\u2019s stealth fighters really stack up?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-china-s-history-of-stealing-fighter-designs\">China\u2019s history of stealing fighter designs<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Chengdu J-20<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>China\u2019s rapid military expansion and modernization have come as a result of massive economic and political efforts. The nation\u2019s military, once a sprawling mess of nepotism and corruption, has quickly become one of\u2014if not the\u2014dominant military force in the Pacific, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/us-navy-would-face-a-massive-770-ship-force-in-a-pacific-fight-with-china\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">more than 770 vessels<\/a> and a growing stockpile of highly capable missile systems, much of which is devoted to defending their claims of sovereignty over the entire South China Sea. This transition hasn\u2019t been without its challenges, but there\u2019s no denying that China has covered a great deal of proverbial ground in a very short span of time. <\/p>\n<p>And if you take a closer look at many of China\u2019s large defense initiatives, it becomes clear that their rapid progress comes, in no small part, thanks to an absolutely massive espionage apparatus devoted to culling technical secrets from anyone, including trade partners and friendly nations. Few fields better demonstrate this nack for advancement-through-theft than Chinese military aviation. <\/p>\n<p>As a few brief <a href=\"https:\/\/www.popularmechanics.com\/military\/aviation\/g23303922\/china-copycat-air-force\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">examples<\/a>, China\u2019s Chengdu J-10 is directly based on intelligence purchased by China from Israel in the 1980s for the defunct Lavi fighter, which was based on America\u2019s F-16. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/fighter-fuel-range-is-the-biggest-threat-to-americas-navy-in-the-21st-century\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Carrier Woes: The Navy\u2019s fighters can\u2019t reach China<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Chengdu_J-10_-_E6AEB2-10.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption>Chengdu J-10 (Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>China\u2019s Shenyang J-11 and subsequent J-16 are both based on a Soviet Su-27 production line China purchased in 1989. The Soviets didn\u2019t want to sell it to China, but their economic desperation at the time forced their hand. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/PLAAF_J-11BS_-_1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption>China\u2019s Shenyang J-11 (Wikimedia Commons) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Shenyang J-15, China\u2019s current primary carrier-based fighter, is also based on a Russian platform \u2014 the Su-33, but they didn\u2019t get it from Russia. When Moscow refused to provide plans for the aircraft to the Chinese government, Beijing simply purchased a prototype of the fighter from Ukraine (known then as the T-10K-3) and simply reverse-engineered it. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/PLAN_J15_108.jpg\" alt=\"Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark tail number 108\" \/><figcaption><em>Shenyang J-15\u00a0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>There are, of course, other examples, as well as examples from other industries. China has long understood that, in order to compete with and eventually overtake the most capable military forces on the planet, they need to rapidly match capabilities. The most cost-effective way of doing so, whether we\u2019re talking tactics for carrier strike groups or designs for air superiority fighters, isn\u2019t to start from scratch. It\u2019s to steal everything you can get your hands on.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/us-navy-would-face-a-massive-770-ship-force-in-a-pacific-fight-with-china\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Just how big is China\u2019s Navy? Bigger than you think<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>The Chengdu J-20: The world\u2019s first non-American stealth fighter<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/J-20_at_Airshow_China_2016.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption>(Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon is China\u2019s first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-fighter-generations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">5th generation fighter<\/a>, with roots dating back to the nation\u2019s J-XX program that began in the late 1990s. By 2008, some 11 years after the F-22 Raptor\u2019s first flight, Chengdu\u2019s Project 718 was chosen to move forward as the basis for the nation\u2019s first stealth fighter, though the design chosen would see significant revisions in 2014 before being declared \u201ccombat ready\u201d and put into production in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>The single-seat, twin-engine fighter has a wingspan of just more than 42 feet, a bit shy of the F-22\u2019s 44\u2032, and an overall length of 69 feet, 7 inches, considerably longer than the F-22\u2019s 62\u2032. China has struggled to field the jet\u2019s intended 5th generation engines, known as WS-15s, expected to produce some 44,000 pounds of thrust each. As a result, today\u2019s J-20s fly with either Russian-sourced AL-31s capable of producing 33,000 pounds of thrust each, or more recently, China\u2019s own equivalent, the WS-10C. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/J-20_28cropped29-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption>Chengdu J-20 (Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The aircraft\u2019s top speed is rated as Mach 2, with a combat range of 1,100 nautical miles, and a service ceiling of 66,000 feet. It\u2019s capable of carrying four medium or long-range missiles inside its primary payload bay, as well as two additional short-range air-to-air missiles in small secondary bays on either side of its fuselage. <\/p>\n<p>The J-20 is often compared to America\u2019s air superiority F-22 Raptor, but technically speaking, it was designed to fill a different role. While the Raptor was always intended to dominate air combat, the J-20 was originally meant to fly deep into enemy territory to conduct strikes against ground targets, more akin to the F-35. However, China has since devoted considerable energy and resources to closing the air-combat capability gap, incorporating new systems like thrust-vector control into the latest iterations of the platform in order to make it a more dynamic dogfighter. <\/p>\n<p>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/chinas-j-20-stealth-fighter-is-gaining-on-americas-top-jets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">China\u2019s J-20 stealth fighter is gaining on America\u2019s top jets<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Russia called out the J-20\u2019s similarities with the MiG 1.44 immediately after the Chinese fighter was revealed<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"849\" height=\"546\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/I42-001-1-.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-50961\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/I42-001-1-.webp 849w, https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/I42-001-1--300x193.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/I42-001-1-768x494-1.webp 768w\" \/><figcaption>Russian MiG 1.44 prototype<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Although the Soviet Union fell in 1991, Russia continued to work toward matching the air combat capabilities the United States was developing in the F-22 Raptor throughout the rest of the decade. While Sukhoi\u2019s PAK FA ultimately won out, leading to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/is-russias-su-57-the-worst-stealth-fighter-on-the-planet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Su-57 Felon<\/a>, Russia did consider at least two other potential stealth fighter designs, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/f-16sfw-the-proposed-f-16-with-backward-wings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">forward-swept winged<\/a> Su-47 Berkut, and the Mikoyan MFI program\u2019s MiG 1.44 prototype (intended to result in a MiG 1.42 production fighter). <\/p>\n<p>The MiG 1.44 was revealed to the world in 1999, but actually began development in the 1980s. By 1994, the MiG 1.44 prototype was conducting ground tests, but Mikoyan\u2019s financial woes at the time prevented the program from maturing further. It would eventually take flight in February of 2000.<\/p>\n<p>While not as dramatic as the Su-47\u2019s backward wings, the MiG 1.44 also diverged from traditional Russian fighter designs by placing canards ahead of rear-mounted wings, creating a strikingly similar layout to China\u2019s Mighty Dragon. And don\u2019t think for a moment that Russia hasn\u2019t noticed the similarities. <\/p>\n<p>In October of 2016, China officially unveiled its J-20 at the Zhuhai air show in\u00a0Beijing, and within days, Russian state-owned media outlets were already <a href=\"https:\/\/ria.ru\/20161101\/1480480097.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">calling Chengdu out<\/a>. One of the most frequently cited statements in those early days came from deputy editor-in-chief of Russia\u2019s \u201cArsenal of the Fatherland\u201d magazine, Dmitry Drozdenko:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cIn my opinion, the machine is based on\u00a0the Russian MiG 1.44. That plane was created to\u00a0compete with\u00a0the PAK FA at\u00a0the preliminary design stage, and made its maiden flight in\u00a02000,\u201d he said on Sputnik radio. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Chinese plane is very similar. Although it hasn\u2019t been announced officially, the J-20 uses our AL-31F engine, developed by\u00a0Salut, which the Chinese bought for\u00a0half a billion dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/mig-j20-780x750-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-50960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/mig-j20-780x750-1.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/mig-j20-300x288-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/mig-j20-768x739-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/mig-j20.jpg 1017w\" \/><figcaption>Chengdu J-20 top, MiG 1.44 bottom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Another Kremlin-owned media outlet, TASS, soon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalsecurity.org\/military\/world\/china\/j-20-design.htm#:~:text=The%20J%2D20%20has%20a,that%20of%20the%20F%2D22.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">followed suit<\/a> with its own assertions, penned by Viktor Litovkin:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cIn China, they are able to copy the best models of military equipment, no doubt. They know how. But we must remember that a copy is always a little worse than the original,\u201d Litovkin wrote. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cComparison of the Chinese J-20 with the domestic MiG 1.44 is natural. The appearance of the two aircraft is very similar. As for the internal layout, questions arise. How accurately are the instruments and equipment copied?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>But Russians weren\u2019t the only ones to take note. Douglas Barrie, an air warfare specialist at the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies, also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rbth.com\/articles\/2011\/08\/29\/mig_denies_stealth_technology_transfer_to_china_for_j-20_fighter_12923\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">highlighted<\/a> the striking similarities between the J-20 and MiG 1.44 at the time. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cThe back end of the J-20 looks awfully like the 1.44, as does the overall layout with delta canards,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it\u2019s a coincidence, it\u2019s a striking one. Russia may have provided technical support, but there is nothing substantial to prove that. China has however relied on Russia for much of its defense procurement for a decade and a half.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/j-20-fighter-bomber-chinas-plan-to-field-the-worlds-first-2-seat-stealth-fighter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">J-20 Fighter Bomber: China\u2019s plan to field the world\u2019s first 2-seater stealth fighter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>MiG denied any involvement in the J-20\u2019s development\u2026 but what does that actually mean?<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/preview.redd.it\/4xnoii3qt4z71.jpg?width=640&#038;crop=smart&#038;auto=webp&#038;s=2b160d5164a308ce7d626ebdfd17a06ffc3ef818\" alt=\"r\/WarplanePorn - Front view comparison between Mig 1.44 and its J-20 [3455x3859]\" \/><figcaption>Frontal comparison of the MiG 1.44 (top) and J-20 (bottom)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Mikoyan has denied providing any kind of support for China\u2019s stealth fighter development dating back to well before the J-20 was officially unveiled. After some images of the new Chinese fighter emerged in 2010, the Russian firm went on the offensive, stating in multiple Russian outlets that they \u201care not delivering any equipment to China, and never have.\u201d Of course, that statement was patently false. Mikoyan had openly sold kits, components and completed MiG-21s to China for use as their Chengdu J-7 in years past, for instance. <\/p>\n<p>And Mikoyan\u2019s financial struggles in the late 1990s, which ultimately led to a complete change of management before the MiG 1.44 was revealed to the public in 1999, may have set the stage for just such a transfer of designs. If the company was hurting for money, China would be a logical place to start looking for some, especially after the MiG 1.44 had been passed over. <\/p>\n<p>In August of 2011, Thomas Grove interviewed an unnamed source within Russia\u2019s defense industry for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/idINIndia-58851920110818\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Reuters<\/a>, who said Mikoyan did indeed help with the J-20\u2019s development, though he wasn\u2019t sure if it had been done legally. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cIt looks like they got access\u2026 to documents relating to the Mikoyan \u2014 the aircraft that the Ministry of Defence skipped over in its tender to create a stealth fighter,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Grove further substantiated his reporting by meeting with Russian analyst Adil Mukashev, who corroborated the story. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cChina bought the technology for parts, including the tail of the Mikoyan, for money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/how-do-the-worlds-stealth-fighters-really-stack-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How do the world\u2019s stealth fighters really stack up?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>The J-20 is most likely the bastard child of three different stealth fighters<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/800px-J-20s.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption>(WikiMedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>While the J-20 and MiG 1.44 do bear a striking resemblance, there are also a number of apparent differences. That, however, may not suggest Chinese originality, so much as a <em>blending<\/em> of stolen design elements. <\/p>\n<p>The J-20\u2019s overall design may pull heavily from the MiG 1.44, but its approach to defeating radar detection borrows more evidently from Lockheed Martin designs for the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. And while there remains some uncertainty about whether or not China got its hands on designs or materials from the MiG effort, there\u2019s no question at all about China\u2019s access to American stealth fighter plans. <\/p>\n<p>In August of 2014, a Chinese national living in Canada <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/breaking-news\/2016\/03\/24\/chinese-businessman-pleads-guilty-of-spying-on-f-35-and-f-22\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">named<\/a> Su Bin (who also often went by Stephen Su) was arrested for leading a hacking effort to steal over 630,000 files from American aviation firms like Boeing and Lockheed Martin for the Chinese government, including F-22 and F-35 \u201cblueprints\u201d that would \u201c<em>allow us [China] to catch up rapidly with U.S. levels \u2026 [and] stand easily on the giant\u2019s shoulders<\/em>,\u201d according to his own emails that were entered as evidence.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1180\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/nose-1180x750-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-50962\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/nose-1180x750-1.jpg 1180w, https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/nose-300x191.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/nose-768x488-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/nose.jpg 1377w\" \/><figcaption>F-22 Raptor front fuselage (top), J-20 front fuselage (bottom)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>While the J-20 looks most like the MiG 1.44 from a distance, its similarities with both the F-22 and F-35 become striking as you draw closer. The J-20\u2019s forward fuselage, particularly its angular nose, shows clear F-22 DNA, and the large air inlets on either side share strong design cues with the F-35. In an overall sense, the J-20 appears to leverage the Lockheed Martin approach to low-observable design in an overall shape that was informed\u2014if not directly inspired by\u2014the Mikoyan MiG 1.44 program. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"587\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/j20f35-587x750-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-50963\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/j20f35-587x750-1.jpg 587w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/j20f35-235x300-1.jpg 235w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/j20f35.jpg 688w\" \/><figcaption>F-35 (top), J-20 (bottom)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Of course, in the development of stealth aircraft, some similarities are going to be dictated by function, but stealth aviation isn\u2019t necessarily as limiting as some analysts might have you believe. After all, the F-35 and F-22 were built by the same firm at around the same time \u2014 but when considering other American stealth fighter entries that didn\u2019t make it into production, jets like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandboxx.us\/blog\/could-the-yf-23-have-been-better-than-the-f-22\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Northrop\u2019s YF-23<\/a> and Boeing\u2019s X-32, it seems pretty evident that there\u2019s more than one way to skin the low-observable cat. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Ray_Wagner_Collection_Image_YF-23.jpg\" alt=\"Northrop YF-23 - Wikipedia\" \/><figcaption>Northrop\u2019s YF-23 was said to have a stealthier overall design than the F-22 (Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>With that in mind, as well as China\u2019s historical tenacity for stealing and absorbing foreign designs for their aircraft, it seems more likely than not that China\u2019s J-20 isn\u2019t a copy of the MiG 1.44, the F-22, or the F-35 alone. Rather, it\u2019s actually a combination of the three, with Chinese engineers choosing their favorite elements from each and simply filling in the blanks in between. <\/p>\n<p>But of course, the best we can do is draw evidence-based conclusions and be willing to change our position when new evidence emerges. With China\u2019s J-31 now cruising toward production and looking an awful lot like another lost Lockheed cousin\u2026 this is sure to be a conversation we find ourselves having again. <\/p>\n<h2>Read more from Sandboxx News<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China has a long and established history of borrowing (or outright stealing) designs, technologies, and even entire aircraft from its competitors, and evidence suggests the nation\u2019s premiere stealth fighter, the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1535959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1535959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1535959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1535959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1535959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1535959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1535959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}