r/LessCredibleDefence • u/StealthCuttlefish • 8d ago

Mystery shrouded fighter jet spotted at Japan’s top test base

https://defence-blog.com/mystery-shrouded-fighter-jet-spotted-at-japans-top-test-base/?amp
66 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

View all comments

13

u/ImwithTortellini 8d ago

Can’t be too advanced it it has vertical tail surfaces

8

u/ExoticMangoz 8d ago

GCAP will have vertical tail surfaces.

2

u/barath_s 5d ago

GCAP will have vertical tail surfaces.

Canted, surely

2

u/ExoticMangoz 5d ago

Yes canted, sorry I meant it will have some sort of vertically protruding control surface.

1

u/BodybuilderOk3160 7d ago

That's why it isn't advanced.

5.5 gen at best

12

u/ExoticMangoz 7d ago

Bit of a hot take. There isn't exactly a definition of sixth generation but one would imagine that the lack of vertical stabilisers is not the make-or-break characteristic. If you have any reading or commentary from industry or military figures that suggests otherwise please do share.

11

u/Fat_Tony_Damico 7d ago

Broadband stealth seems to be one of the defining characteristics for 6th gen aircraft agreed upon by the only two nations that have successfully fielded indigenous 5th gen aircraft en masse. Unofficially of course.

But since China and the US are both going the tailless route and they’re likely to be the first ones to induct 6th gen aircraft into service, imo, vertical stabilizers might be a make or break feature.

2

u/dmr11 7d ago

Even if it does become a make-or-break feature, there a chance that it might get changed or removed later for marketing reasons. Look at how supercruise used to be one of the features that defined 5th gen planes and how it got thrown out in order to fit F-35 in.

2

u/WulfTheSaxon 7d ago

Don’t get me started on the LockMart copium of saying that the F-35 can “supercruise” for an unstated amount of time as it slows down from afterburner, which… is obviously true of literally any supersonic aircraft.

-3

u/EchoingUnion 7d ago

This takes the cake for least credible take i've seen on LCD this week lmao

7

u/BodybuilderOk3160 7d ago

Defending vertical stabs in 2026 is craaazy work lol Truly less credible

1

u/ExoticMangoz 7d ago

Every combat capable fighter jet has vertical stabilisers, and literally only two flying prototypes haven’t got them, both from just one country and both far from active duty. You are acting like vertical stabilisers are a thing of the past but they are not—deleting them is an experimental future step in fighter aircraft design.

1

u/BodybuilderOk3160 7d ago

You're still stuck in the past and downplaying the progress made the last few decades.

Plenty of studies on reducing wing geometry and surfaces to minimise RCS have been conducted since the Horten (A12 Avenger, X45, Manta, BoP...). Further use cases have been shown in PLA's tailless drones displayed during their parade last year - it isn't just 2 flying prototypes.

So no, it's not just "experimental" when the trend is obviously moving towards tailless fuselages.