Chinese espionage has been suspected of hacking attacks that have gleaned sensitive stealth data from making an F-35, a US 5th generation fighter in service with several air forces. Supported by Beijing to acquire technology and shorten the development time for research and development.
Things are changing since the PLA scientist seems to tweak stolen tech that may or not work.
Copycat or improving the tech?
Cyber espionage has been state-approved to acquire the technology of military-based info from the US. Though at some point, PLA reverse-engineered the carrier-based jets operating now on Soviet template, reported the EurAsian Times.
Way back in 2018, on August 1, the People's Liberation Army's Founding Day had a special significance; photos of the J-20, which the Chinese 5th generation stealth fighter to Chinese media.
In 2019 more photos of the plane underbelly were released, and a sensor array that had a similarity to the Lockheed Martin Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) in the front of the F-35 Lightning II.
The photos splash on media is thought to be allegedly electronically by Chinese hackers, especially the top-secret radar cross-section. Other parts of the plane like the engine, gas cooling, and further top-secret details found their way to the J-20 Mighty Dragon, cited Military Embedded Systems.
More surprising is the hackers' got data about the F-22 and B-2 and a slew of info about space lasers, missile guidance, and tracking systems. Also included were data for nuclear subs and air-to-air missiles seen in China's current weaponry.
US officials called the Chinese espionage Byzantine Hades that started in 2006; to acquire hacked information about the sensitive stealth data of the F-35, noted the Threat Post.
One of the favored methods is spear-phishing to access the data via email and get the password to bypass the network.
Reports of the Byzantine Hades breach that was traced to the PLA-sponsored hackers taken by Wikileaks and given to Reuters.
Identified hackers are the People's Liberation Army Chengdu Province First Technical Reconnaissance Bureau (TRB), the site registered in Chengdu and organized by Chen Xingpeng. This is mentioned in a Reuters story.
It only fuels speculation that the Mighty Dragon has its origins in the Joint Strike Fighter hack due to similar features they had in common. But the US does not think the J-20 is even 5th generation.
Some contradictions are two canards that the JSF does not have, but PLA had another fighter in the works, the FC-31. It does look more like the Lightning II.
Another cause of a copycat or more?
The FC-31 or J-31 was revealed recently by Chinese media has shown more likeness than expected.
Only the second to the J-20 Mighty Dragon, the Shenyang FC-31, is 5th gen and built in the country and designed as a fighter-bomber for even close air support (CAS), stationed as a carrier-based fighter.
It has two Russian RD-93 turbofan engines capable of 2,200 km/h with a 2,000 km range that exceeds the F-35 JSF. It has advanced avionics and a system but has a gun which the Mighty Dragon lacks.
For Chinese espionage that scored in getting the sensitive stealth data of the F-35 and building its own, it cannot be a discount that PLA engineers would learn and improve, not just copy off the bat.
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