Experts in the arms and flight technology sector are amazed by China’s latest genius, the new J-20 fighter that has just been subjected to real tests in the Mu Us desert. Although the country is keeping the project under wraps, this has not prevented information about its surprising drone system from reaching the web. Because, as we say in the title of the news, its wings transform into drones.
The key word is precisely “transform”. Even some of the leading experts in the sector cannot help but compare this Chinese fighter with the Transformers. In particular, reference is made to those small transformers, the mini-cons, which were capable of causing big problems in the animated series of this robot universe. In this fighter, the use of drones is surprising, since the wings can be transformed into drones that are deployed while the plane is in the sky.
Sci-fi technology in reality
The only thing we are missing is a video in which we can see how this fighter works in action, but, as we pointed out, China is protecting the privacy of the plane. What has been leaked in the press is that, during the test flight, there was a small incident. Thus, at the moment when the wings deployed the two drones, an aerodynamic change occurred in the fighter’s environment. This caused the plane to lose balance slightly and a seemingly risky situation to take place. However, the J-20 pilot managed to adjust the position and both the fighter and its two drones continued with the test flight.
It is important to note that, although the two drones operate automatically based on the programming they have received, the fighter remains under the pilot’s control at all times. And, although one might think that the presence of the drones would seriously affect the flight, this test has confirmed that this will not be the case. It is true, given what we have seen, that the pilots will have to readjust their position and assimilate that they will have an external factor, the drones, that will affect their aircraft. But, beyond that, it does not seem that it will be a problem.
China at the forefront of drone fighters
Most importantly, the J-20 is not an isolated development. China says it is working on a whole range of fighters that will be designed to work in conjunction with its own drones. That could open up a whole new range of possibilities for pilots in all sorts of situations, with the full range of roles drones could play still up in the air.
They also mention that they are not only working on a model like the J-20, which is a single-seat fighter, but that they are also working on aircraft designs that will have two seats. The intention is that some models, those that have more versatile and powerful drones, will have a co-pilot who will be in charge of controlling the drones. This would increase the level of effectiveness in the missions considerably and would give enemy pilots new concerns.
The only drawback at the moment is that drones will probably not be able to match the speed levels of fighters. This is a problem because if pilots perform maneuvers too quickly or fly at high speeds, the drones could be left behind and become useless.
China is not going to be satisfied with this progress, however. They claim that the J-30 and J-40 models that will arrive in the future could be more Transformer-like fighter planes than we can imagine, since they will have different combat modes and positions. Perhaps, who knows, they are taking inspiration from legendary series such as Robotech. That may still be a long way off, but it is not surprising to see China facing a type of development that, as of yet, we have not heard of in other countries.
