Notable changes have been observed in both of China’s sixth-generation fighter programmes, with updated prototypes seen flying just 10 months after their first public appearance, indicating rapid progress as the country vies with the US for air supremacy.
Photos circulating on Chinese social media since Tuesday showed what appeared to be Chengdu Aircraft Corporation’s sixth-generation fighter, bearing a tailless and three-engine design, conducting a test flight.
Unofficially referred to as the J-36, the aircraft is believed to be the second prototype, featuring significant upgrades such as angular exhaust nozzles replacing the recessed exhausts seen on the earlier version.
The nozzles’ shape closely resembles the two-dimensional thrust-vectoring exhausts used on the F-22 Raptor, America’s fifth-generation stealth fighter.
According to a report by The War Zone, an online news publication, the angular exhausts may help resolve stability and manoeuvrability issues during certain flight phases.
