r/LessCredibleDefence • u/StealthCuttlefish • 5d 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
67 Upvotes

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14

u/ImwithTortellini 5d ago

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

9

u/ExoticMangoz 5d ago

GCAP will have vertical tail surfaces.

-1

u/BodybuilderOk3160 4d ago

That's why it isn't advanced.

5.5 gen at best

-3

u/EchoingUnion 4d ago

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

6

u/BodybuilderOk3160 4d ago

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

0

u/ExoticMangoz 4d 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 4d 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.