China’s AVIC is reportedly studying landing capability on aircraft carriers for its flying wing J-36 fighter jet following the start of regular flight tests.

South China Morning Post reported that a team of engineers is carrying out control system studies to allow the J-36, or rather a carrier-based version, to land on aircraft carriers.

The team is working on a control system to keep the aircraft’s vector aligned with the landing runway under disturbances. Landing on an aircraft carrier with an angled landing runway is a difficult task as the aircraft has to align its body axis with the runway of a moving carrier under wind disturbances. This will be even more difficult with a flying wing design relying on split rudders for yaw movement.

Structural Challenges

3D thrust vectoring is on the table to allow for better handling of lateral movement. J-36 is suspected to have thrust vectoring, but it is more likely to be a 2D one like F-22’s, considering the nozzle layout.

However, getting the control part done would only be one part of this development process. Carrier landings are far rougher than conventional ones, as the aircraft can be described as dropping right on the runway before being stopped with the assistance of arresting gear. Such landings impart large amounts of stress on the airframe. J-36’s immense weight might be a problem in this regard, greater than pretty much any other fighter jet. Thus, a landing gear redesign alongside structural reinforcements will likely come after the control system is done for the naval variant of the J-36. Of course, these changes will introduce a significant increase to the empty weight, which will affect other parameters like range and agility if not takeoff (thanks to the use of a catapult considering the possible timeframe of deployment).

Strategic Implications

Deploying an aircraft like J-36 on aircraft carriers will represent a jump from the current fleet of J-15 carrier-based fighters in several ways.

J-36, due to its size and associated fuel volume, is anticipated to have a longer operational radius compared to fifth-generation fighters like the J-20. This offers the luxury of conducting operations at more stand-off distances to the valued aircraft carriers or conducting operations deeper into the enemy territory. J-36’s low observability features and possible employment of long-range missiles will reinforce this advantage.

Author: Kaan Azman

Editor: Özgür Ekşi