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Qantas A350ULR på beddingen

The new plane was pictured at Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse, France. Qantas

Sjekk "Project Sunrise" her: https://tinyurl.com/ymesty7u

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The Aviationist

@TheAviationist

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Shield AI Choses F110-GE-129 Turbofan Engine for X-BAT VTOL Unmanned Fighter The F110-GE-129 afterburning turbofan will be equipped with the Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle to provide thrust vectoring during VTOL operations and flight. Story:

From theaviationist.com
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Chinese fighters power ahead as Russia stagnates

China is cementing its dominance as the key fighter designer in the authoritarian-aligned world.

Images of a second prototype of the jet tentatively designated “J-36” recently appeared on Chinese social media, less than a year after the original version surfaced in late December 2024.

Source: Craig Hoyle/FlightGlobal

Russia’s Checkmate mock-up at the 2021 Dubai air show

Chinese engineers have been busy. The new prototype features redesigned intakes, revised landing gear, and an updated engine configuration. The tailless aircraft employs an unusual three-engined layout with two side intakes and a single dorsal intake. It also boasts a side-by-side cockpit, presumably to let two crew members manage multiple unmanned “loyal wingman” aircraft.

The J-36 is hardly China’s only exotic project. Work continues on the smaller J-XDS/J-50 and several unmanned loyal wingman types.

The contrast with Russia’s stagnation is striking. Once the benchmark for advanced combat aircraft, Moscow’s industry has fallen quiet. For decades China lagged Russia, building its aircraft under license and drawing heavily on Russian engine expertise.

Even before Vladimir Putin’s ill-fated invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia was struggling with high-end programmes. The Sukhoi Su-57 remains in limited production, far behind China’s Chengdu J-20 in both numbers and maturity. The Su-75 Checkmate, unveiled with fanfare in 2021 as a low-cost stealth fighter, is still little more than a mock-up.

Russia reportedly has prospects for the Su-35 in Ethiopia, Iran and Vietnam, and has secured a 14-unit order from Algeria for the Su-57, marking its first export success with the type. Other deals – if real – appear cloaked in secrecy. A potential Indian Su-57 buy also remains uncertain.

China, meanwhile, may become only the second country to export a stealth fighter, with a possible Shenyang J-35A sale to Pakistan. It also appears poised to sell 42 Chengdu J-10Cs to Indonesia.

The upcoming Dubai air show will underline this passing of the torch. Chinese defence export agency CATIC will mount a major display, joined by aerospace partner Pakistan. No Russian firms are expected to appear.

To access our coverage of the Dubai air show from 17-21 November, visit our defence landing page.

Meanwhile, Norway and NH Industries have concluded a long-running spat about Oslo’s axeing of its NH90 contract, with the parties reaching an out-of-court settlement.

The US Army has offered a glimpse of the autonomous future, as an ordinary soldier planned and executed missions with an optionally piloted Sikorsky UH-60M utilty helicopter using the company’s Matrix system.

Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A autonomous fighter prototype has taken to the skies. It joined the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems YFQ-42A in the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme, which seeks to select a winner before October 2026.