MELBOURNE, Australia \u2014 China is stepping up its aircraft carrier program on all fronts with the emergence of a stealth fighter mock-up at a naval test facility, suggesting that China intends to operate the type on its ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the construction of China\u2019s third aircraft carrier is making steady progress, while a state media news clip shows carrier-borne fighters have been based at a naval air base, which has been geolocated to a naval air base in Hainan Island bordering the South China Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The latter will be one of the final pieces to the jigsaw for China\u2019s People\u2019s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, to base its second aircraft carrier, the Shandong, and its associated air wing at Hainan, the main base of its South Sea Fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A new stealthy carrier-borne fighter?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
A photo has recently emerged of the mock-up of what appears to be a stealthy fighter jet at China\u2019s dedicated naval research and testing facility in Wuhan, Hubei province. Though not confirmed, it would seem likely that the mockup is of the Shenyang FC-31.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FC-31 was originally a privately funded venture by the Shenyang Aircraft Company and not driven by any military requirements. It first flew in 2012 and was marketed for export, although without success. However, rumors persisted that the type was subsequently selected for development into a carrier-borne fighter. In 2016 a new, significantly altered airframe started flight trials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The design displays a number of stealthy features in the form of stealth shaping, low-observable intakes and an internal weapons bay. The type is a twin-engined, medium-sized fighter, and although the FC-31 does not appear to be at an advanced stage in its development cycle, a mock-up\u2019s appearance at the \u201cflight deck\u201d of the concrete aircraft carrier mockup in Wuhan is significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The facility in Wuhan is widely believed to be used for electromagnetic spectrum testing of future PLAN systems, and has been a useful indicator of the PLAN\u2019s plans in the past. Mockups of the Type 002 and 003 aircraft carriers, 055 cruiser, and Shenyang J-15 fighter and Xian KJ-600 airborne early warning aircraft have previously appeared at the site, all of which have since gone into service or continued their development process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Third carrier construction<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The construction of China\u2019s third aircraft carrier at a shipyard at the eastern city of Shanghai is continuing apace, with a steady stream of photos taken from commercial airliners flying to and from the city\u2019s Pudong International Airport appearing on social media sites showing the progress of the work being done on the hull.<\/p>\n\n\n\t