China’s Newest Stealth Fighter May Head to Sea, State Media Says

China’s latest stealth fighter prototype could be deployed aboard the Chinese navy’s first aircraft carrier, eventually allowing Beijing to deploy radar-evading warplanes all over the world — although it’ll have to overcome some serious constraints.

The twin-engine J-31, which made its public debut in blurry photographs snapped at the Shenyang Aircraft Company airfield in northeastern China in late October, “may become China’s next generation carrier-borne fighter jet,” according to the government-owned Global Times newspaper. “News” from China’s state media, including Global Times, essentially can be read as official announcements.

But Sun Cong, the J-31′s chief designer, implied that the new stealth jet will need to be enhanced to become carrier-compatible, according to Global Times. In other words, the J-31 won’t be headed to sea any time soon, however much Chinese state media signals the rising power’s interest in taking its stealth jet out to the open water.

In any event, the prospect of a maritime future for the J-31 places China in rarefied company. Of the dozen or so countries that possess flattops, only a handful are developing carrier-based stealth warplanes; and none have deployed them yet. The U.S. Navy is working on the F-35C ship-compatible version of the Joint Strike Fighter; the U.K. and Italy are also acquiring F-35s for their carriers — in their cases, the vertical-landing B-model of the next-generation jet that the U.S. Marines will use.

With a years-long head start, the Western countries are likely to field their carrier-launched stealth fighters well before the Chinese could. Beijing is only beginning to develop its naval aviation capability, a century after the U.S. formed its own seagoing air force.

There has long been speculation about the J-31′s naval destiny. Observers noted during its debut that the first J-31 prototype has the extra-tough twin nose wheels that are typical of carrier-based planes, which tend to land hard on their comparatively small floating airstrips.

But judging from high-resolution photos of the J-31 prototype, the new plane apparently lacks other key features of naval fighters, including a tailhook (for snagging the arresting wire on the carrier deck) and folding wings (for compact storage below deck). It’s these additions and others that Cong was likely referring to when he said the carrier-based J-31 would have to be an improved model.

There’s little need for hastiness on Beijing’s part. China’s sole carrier, the ex-Soviet Liaoning, began sea trials in the summer of 2011 and landed her first planes in November. State media claims Liaoning will sail on her first long-range voyage sometime this year, with the goal of entering frontline service within two years. (China’s ongoing construction of naval tanker ships, meant to refuel the carrier on long deployments, seems to corroborate this timeline.)

Beijing is also planning its first homebuilt carrier, with construction reportedly beginning this year.

Liaoning already possesses the components of a basic air wing, including non-stealthy J-15 fighters and several types of helicopter. There is some evidence Beijing is also developing a carrier-launched radar plane similar to the U.S. E-2. But Liaoning lacks the steam catapults that are standard on large American flattops — and this limits the ship’s ability to launch large, heavy planes in the class of the E-2.

The absence of catapults could also have some bearing on any future, maritime version of the J-31. Since they must launch off the ship’s deck strictly under their own power, China’s carrier planes are constrained in the amount of fuel and weapons they can carry. For all its potential stealthiness, a naval J-31 could sneak into a battle zone with only a handful of missiles and very little fuel for maneuvering — though to be fair, the U.S. F-35 also has a fairly small weapons loadout while in stealth mode.

If the J-31 goes to sea, it could allow Beijing to deploy high-tech air power almost anywhere in the world within reasonable flying range of the coast. But not any time soon. And not without plenty of limitations

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