Calling J-20 and FC-31 EOIRST as "EOTS"

[Blitzo]

Hello Huitong, I would suggest that it may be worth describing J-20 and FC-31 chin mounted IRST sensors as something other than "EOTS," because the Electro Optic Targeting System is very much a Lockheed Martin project with certain capabilities for the F-35. We do not know if J-20's sensor is meant to operate similarly, for instance, we do not know if it has a laser designator which would be very much of an air to ground function. 

Therefore it could be a better idea to describe the systems as EOIRSTs instead -- Electro Optic Infra Red Search and Track, which is a far more general term and not associated with the capabilities of a certain particular system like EOTS.

[huitong]

Thanks for your suggestion. Based on the picture of EOTS-86 to be fitted onto FC-31, it is reasonable to assume that Chinese are calling the IRST onboard J-20 and FC-31 as EOTS. Whether or not it is as capable as the real EOTS onboard F-35? That is a different question.

[Blitzo]

Well, Beijing A-Star is calling their product "EOTS-86" and is marketing it with that name -- however we do not know if FC-31 will actually be equipped with Beijing A-Star's product simply because the company is marketing it with that name. We also do not know if the Chinese Air Force actually calls J-20's EOIRST sensor as an "EOTS", and even if they do call it "EOTS", I think it is worth clarifying in your entry on J-20 that we do not know if J-20's EOTS/EOIRST has the ground attack and geolocating role of F-35's EOTS. The point I am making is that calling J-20's sensor "EOTS" gives the assumption that it has the same role as F-35's EOTS, which may possibly not be true.


As for F-35's EOTS -- it is essentially technology from the early 2000s, and is fairly well documented to be obsolete compared to modern FLIR and IRST pods. Lockheed Martin has even developed a new version called the "Advanced EOTS" with today's technologies as an additional retrofit for F-35s. I would be quite surprised if J-20's EOIRST sensor was less capable than the original EOTS in the similar roles that both may share.

[Blitzo]

In other words, my two key suggestions are:
1: we do not know if the Chinese Air Force is actually calling J-20's EOIRST sensor EOTS or not, and we do not know if they are using Beijing A-Star's "EOTS-86" sensor. Therefore it is probably most prudent to call it an EOIRST until otherwise known to avoid confusion.
2: it is also probably worth clarifying that we do not know if J-20's EOIRST/EOTS has ground attack roles like F-35's EOTS, despite the fact that it is superficially similar and that it may or may not be called "EOTS" officially by the Air Force. The visual similarity between J-20's EORIST sensor and F-35's EOTS sensor might make other observers believe that they have the same function and roles, when in reality J-20's sensor may have no ground attack role at all (such as no laser spot detector or no laser designator for close in strike roles like F-35's EOTS)

[challenge]

it look like A-Star is privately fund project,Chinese government recently trying to encourage private sector to invest what is once state control defence firm.

problem is private firm may not be as technological sufficient when compare it with heavely funded SOE.

[Karyl]

Nov 16, 2015 23:15:00 GMT -5 huitong said:

Thanks for your suggestion. Based on the picture of EOTS-86 to be fitted onto FC-31, it is reasonable to assume that Chinese are calling the IRST onboard J-20 and FC-31 as EOTS. Whether or not it is as capable as the real EOTS onboard F-35? That is a different question.