China Unveils Yet Another Stealth Fighter 223
An anonymous reader writes "Pictures of a new Chinese stealth fighter prototype started showing up recently on the web. The airplane prototype was photographed at a Shenyang aircraft facility and seems to be a twin-engined lightweight fighter in the F-35 class. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is scheduled to visit China this week in the midst of tension regarding territorial disputes in the region."
Re:Not getting it! (Score:5, Informative)
It's also a bit late, on the International Aircraft Expo in Germany this year they demonstrated a working passive radar system that will make this technology obsolete.
(link is in German)
http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/technik/passivradar-nimmt-stealth-jets-die-tarnkappe-a-855711.html [spiegel.de]
Re:Not an F-22 comparable (Score:2, Informative)
1) the world's largest attack submarine fleet (although all are Diesel-Electric, not nuclear, so individually not as good as the US or British subs, but there's more of them)
You missed an argument here that perfectly reinforces your point. Diesel-electric submarines are, in some ways, superior to nuclear submarines: they're cheaper to operate, and quieter (when running on batteries) which gives them an advantage in combat. Their biggest disadvantage is that they lack the range and speed to make patrols to distant oceans. So China's choice of diesel-electric submarines for its fleet makes perfect sense as a defensive measure, which fits with your argument.
Re:Not an F-22 comparable (Score:2, Informative)
THat's why you see that China has developed now 1) the world's largest attack submarine fleet (although all are Diesel-Electric, not nuclear, so individually not as good as the US or British subs
Diesel Electrics under water can be completely silent. Nuclear powered subs tend to make too much noise under water and make them a lot easier to track with passive sonar.
Even in NATO military exercises Diesel Electric submarines have done rather well "sinking" carriers in the middle of a Attack Group because they can go lay in wait without any noise emissions.