We all know redesigning any airframe is possible but it takes proper design and testing effort. But since a larger design is already done and in production, you do save lots of time as you've been through material, aerodynamics, engines, weapons and testing of various other parameters. Avionics and sensors can also be reused with adjusted power capacity for single engine vs. dual.
I fully understand the impact this perspective will have on our Pakistani friends. I don't expect you or the famous "Mad Dog arslank01" to understand it either.
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Many of us have played simulation games. In these games, we can quickly create cars, airplanes, skyscrapers, cities, and so on, based on our own wishes, without much professional knowledge. There are countless such games, and you can explore them on your own.
While many people think these are just computer games, the Chinese have already applied this concept to a wide range of commercial product designs. If you conduct actual business with Chinese companies, you'll find many incredible things. A design proposal that would take at least a month to complete can be submitted to you within the next or three days. These proposals even include all the details and price quotes.
For example, completing a complete design for a villa.
The traditional model: This takes at least several months.
The new model: From contract signing to the completion of the complete design, it can be as fast as two days. It even includes all construction drawings, renderings, equipment lists, construction quotations, construction schedules......
These concepts have been fully integrated into various business activities in China.
This model has the following characteristics:
1. It requires a large, precisely organized module library. This means that it requires the participation of numerous subsystem suppliers, component suppliers, and other related companies. They use a common standard design language, independently developing submodules within their respective business areas, and then integrating them into the design system. The richer the system's module library, the greater the user's design scope.
2. For the average user, designing solely using the module library is extremely efficient, and requires no advanced technical knowledge. However, if you want to design entirely new components outside the module library, you will require significant expertise, significantly increasing both design time and complexity.
Creating this kind of design system doesn't require advanced software skills. The biggest challenge lies in business integration. ------ The number of companies involved in this large-scale system could reach hundreds of thousands or even millions.
This philosophy and approach isn't exclusive to Chinese companies. Many Western companies also employ this approach. The difference is that in China, the application is broader and larger.
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Chinese companies involved in fighter jet design and production, such as AVIC, AECC, and CETC, are all state-owned enterprises. Integrating them onto a common design platform is not difficult.
A CCTV interview mentioned that AVIC has developed a comprehensive set of aircraft design software.
Academician Yang Wei stated in the interview that "China has entered an era of freedom in modern fighter jet design."
In recent years, China has demonstrated a variety of advanced fighter jets (both manned and unmanned). Generally speaking, no country can launch so many new types of fighter jets in such a short period of time. If traditional design models are adopted, China does not have this capability.
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So, on a technical level, designing a single-engine 5th-Gen fighter for Pakistan based on existing technology is a very, very simple thing. The average aircraft designer might only need a few days to complete their initial design plans.
However, once the initial design is complete, extensive design verification and testing are required. For example, scaled-down models are constructed for wind tunnel testing, electromagnetic/infrared signature testing, and structural stress testing. These tests are repeated numerous times, and the data feedback used to further refine the original design. A prototype is then manufactured. This is followed by another round of testing, data feedback, and design revisions... (The procedures for manned fighter jets are many times more rigorous than those for UAVs.)
These steps are standard procedures and present no significant technical challenges. However, these repeated tests, verifications, and revisions incur significant costs.
Please note:
This view assumes that all existing Chinese technologies and related modules will be used, without developing new ones(New materials, new mechanical structures, new subsystems, etc.).
This question can end here.
