First flight of Chinese J-31 Stealth Fighter for future Type 003 aircraft carrier


According to a tweet published by Rupprecht Deino on October 29, 2021, the People's Liberation Army J-31 stealth fighter made its first flight. The Shenyang J-31 is based on the FC-31 jet fighter and just became carrier-capable for the future Chinese Type 003 aircraft carrier.
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Russian Vyborg Shipyard laid the Purga ice class coastguard ship of project 23550 925 001 First flight of the J-31 jet fighter, at left (Picture source: Twitter account of Rupprecht Deino)


The Shenyang FC-31 Gyrfalcon also known as the J-31 or J-35 is a twin-engine, mid-size fifth-generation jet fighter developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation.

The J-31 can carry 8,000 kg (18,000 lb) of payload, with four munitions totaling 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) internally, and 6,000 kg (13,000 lb) carried on six external hardpoints; primary armaments include the PL-10 short-range missile and PL-12 medium-range air-to-air missile. 4 PL-21 missiles can also be fitted inside the J-31's internal weapons bay. It has a combat radius of 648 nmi (746 mi; 1,200 km) and a maximum take-off weight of 25,000 kg (55,000 lb).

The Type 003 aircraft carrier is an aircraft carrier under construction for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China. It will be the first Chinese aircraft carrier to use a CATOBAR system and electromagnetic (EM) launch catapults.

The carrier's size is expected to be between 85,000-ton and 100,000-ton supercarriers. The Type 003 is approximately 300 meters (984 ft 3 in) long. Commercial satellite imagery indicated that its length was 320 meters and has a flight deck with a width of 78 meters. The Type 003 will be longer than its predecessors and it will also be much wider to allow the transport of more planes.