中国隱形戦闘機「Ｊ３１」初次公開飛行

A few weeks ago the Yomiuri News on-line reported the following:

中国ステルス戦闘機「Ｊ３１」飛行を初公開

2014年11月10日 21時48分

　【珠海（中国広東省）＝比嘉清太】中国空軍のステルス戦闘機「Ｊ（殲）３１」の飛行が１０日、広東省珠海で、１１日に開幕する「第１０回中国国際航空宇宙博覧会」に先立ち、外国メディアに初公開された。

　関係者によると、Ｊ３１は外国への輸出が想定される一方、中国国産空母の艦載機への採用も取り沙汰されている。１１日に空軍創設６５周年を迎える中国は、航空戦力増強と戦闘機市場での存在感を誇示するため、初公開を「重大な突破」（中国メディア）とする構えだ。

　Ｊ３１は先に次世代ステルス戦闘機として開発されたＪ２０に比べて機体が小さい。低コストとされており、マカオ在住の軍事評論家、黄東氏は、有力な輸出先としてパキスタンなどを挙げた。

(試譯文)

On the 10^th (November), a flight of the stealth fighter of the Chinese Air Force "J (Jian) 31" was unveiled to foreign media ahead of "The 10th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition" which began on the 11th at Zhuhai of Kuangtung Province.

   According to the related people, although J31 was assumed to be exported to foreign countries, its adaptation into a carrier-based plane of the Chinese domestic aircraft carrier was also being talked about. While greeting the 65^th anniversary of the founding of the Air Force on the 11^th, and in order show off its aerial fighting power reinforcement and its presence in the fighter market, China poised to show off this plane’s premiere as a "serious breakthrough" (Chinese media).

Developed as a pilot plane of the next generation’s stealth fighters, the body of J31 was smaller compared with J20. Assuming that it was low in cost, Mr. Huang Dong, a military critic residing in Macao mentioned Pakistan as a probable exporting destination.

Given the low price of the J31, I think the targeted buyers should be the third world countries.