By Kris Osborn, Warrior

Newly available images from social media and the Chinese internet now offer what may be a new look at China’s much hyped Shenyang J-50 stealth aircraft, a 6th-generation stealth fighter which could combine the broadband stealth properties of a horizontal flying-wing bomber with the vectoring, thrust-to-weight ratio, agility and speed of a fighter jet. 

The new images, which appeared on social media as cited from the Chinese internet, show a side frontal view of the aircraft and the underside and back exhaust of the J-50 to a larger degree than previous photos. The fuselage does appear to have some jagged angles with its rectangular inlets beneath the wings and angled exhaust structures on the back, both things which might decrease stealth effectiveness. Yet the J-50 does operate with a B-2-like "lambda wing” configuration which, research indicates, combines leading-edge and trailing-edge sweep with forward and backward-swept structures.   The J-50 which is also the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation’s (SAC) J-XDS, may be a 6th-gen breakthrough stealth fighter or a simple F-47 copycat effort which falls well short of US 6th-gen capacity. 

Stealthy Lambda Wing

A working online definition describes the distinct lambda wing shape as a configuration which allows the inboard wing to taper heavily and the outboard section to taper slightly or not at all, creating advantages in aerodynamic efficiency, stability at high speeds, and low radar cross-section for stealth,  A  research essay from Science Direct in 2013 seems to confirm or support this definition, stating “ Lambda-shaped wing has some advantages comparing to the traditional trapezoidal delta wing. For instance, the aspect ratio of lambda wing increases aerodynamic efficiency which leads to higher cruise lift/drag ratios.” 

J-50 & F-47

An advanced or superior lift-to-drag ratio would arguably position the aircraft to compete well for air dominance in an engagement as it would enable greater air-combat agility. It would seem that the J-50 looks very fast and a possible effort to match or out-perform US F-22s. With a fully horizontal configuration and no protruding structures such as tails or fins typically thought of as necessary for combat agility and air-war vectoring, perhaps the J-50 is stealthier than an F-22? Without protruding structures and external angled shapes, ground-based air-defense radar have little to no structures off of which to bounce an electromagnetic “ping” sufficient to generate a return rendering. 

 Have technological advances in recent years enabled breakthroughs such that air-dominance vectoring can be achieved without “any” vertical structures? Perhaps the J-50 can achieve unprecedented agility and maneuverability with a fully horizontal fuselage, absent vertical structures, fins or tails of any kind? 

This is certainly possible, yet it does not suggest the PLA AF have made any advances beyond the F-47 or emerging F/A-XX given that renderings of both of these aircraft suggest it too can operate in an optimal way as a maneuverable fighter jet without any vertical structures. Such a breakthrough would merge the stealth effectiveness of a bomber with the speed and agility of a stealth fighter jet? This appears to be the case with the F-47 as well as the J-50, a possible indication that the PLA is simply seeking to mirror, copy or replicate the US’ NGAD configurations. 

J-50 Radar?  

Regardless of what can be ascertained from photographs of an external configuration of an aircraft, the real margin of difference with an aircraft such as this would likely depend upon variables less visible to the eye. For instance, radar image fidelity and range, targeting precision, sensing, computing and avionics are areas of the J-50 which, it seems, could be quite difficult to determine with a cursory look at the exterior. Yet it is precisely these kinds of attributes which will likely be more determinant in terms of how or why one aircraft prevails. Mission systems, fire control, weapons accuracy and range, sensing and high-speed, AI-enabled targeting and sensor-to-shooter pairing will likely be the areas through which one stealthy horizontal stealth fighter jet might achieve superiority over another. 

A smaller, more narrow or pointier “nose radome”  may bring the advantage of added stealth, yet it might not allow sufficient room to “package” the large, concentrated number of  transmit/receive modules necessary to support a long-range radar. Perhaps this suggests that the platform could be intended for closer-in air-to-air engagements or missions requiring new levels of speed and agility, such as maneuvering into position to destroy enemy air defenses and ground targets with unprecedented speed, missions which might not require a larger, long-range radar built into the nose radome. The J-50 could also operate in an unmanned capacity, meaning it could achieve its operational aims without needing a larger, longer-range radar. Perhaps it will network with unmanned systems in position to test enemy air defenses, blanket areas with ISR or launch attacks when directed by a human. Perhaps long-range sensing and targeting have evolved to a point such that dogfighting will become much less likely. 

Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University