China's Stealth Fighter Flight Test Successful 161
New submitter vencs writes "China has successfully tested its second stealth fighter, a smaller, twin-engine jet that military analysts said could potentially allow it to one day fly missions from an aircraft carrier. Military analysts said the new jet's design suggested the People's Liberation Army might use it to arm and escort aircraft carriers like the Liaoning, which was officially deployed last month. Andrei Chang, editor-in-chief of Kanwa Asian Defense Monthly, said the new prototype appears to have borrowed features from the U.S. Air Force's twin-engine F-22 and U.S. Navy's single-engine F-35C."
It ain't expensive to build a stealth plane... (Score:0, Insightful)
...when you don't have to spend money on R&D because you've stolen the technology from the US.
Re:It ain't expensive to build a stealth plane... (Score:4, Insightful)
This is Slashdot.
We don't steal technology and knowledge.
Also how could they? Do they have direct access to the planes? Inspired by I suppose. But don't all?
Anyway, what I wanted to say is that if you want to look at it that way everyone has stolen the technology from Germany.
Re:Well, that's putting it one way (Score:4, Insightful)
"the new prototype appears to have borrowed features from the U.S."
It's very likely that China stole the technology for this fighter via cyber attacks to facilitate data exfiltration activities over the past decade, such as during the Titan Rain era. China is working diligently to position themselves as the next hyper-power on the planet. Stealth technology is critical for force projection where China seeks to dominate other countries, knowing the U.S. may enter a new Cold War and supply the middle-state pawns with surface-to-air missiles.
The real zinger is going to be stealth drones launched from carriers in the near future.
Regarding Titan Rain and Chinese cyber attacks on the USA:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1098961,00.html [time.com]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_Rain [wikipedia.org]
Re:if it was REALLY a stealth fighter... (Score:2, Insightful)
That's the beauty of it. Israel could claim Iran had invented a stealth nuclear bomb tomorrow, and noone would be able to talk them out of invading.
Re:It ain't expensive to build a stealth plane... (Score:4, Insightful)
What we did to Germany wasn't so much stealing as it was pillaging.