J-44 "Fandance" - a photo on Flickriver

J-44 "Fandance"

The J-44 "Longma" (Dragon-Horse), better known by its NATO reporting name, "Fandance," represents the pinnacle of SPAAF 4th generation fighter might. First appearing at the 2017 August 1st Army Day parades, the Fandance took the West by surprise. Although initial reports were dismissive owing to its lack of stealth and the prototype's poor engines, the early issues were ironed out relatively quickly and the J-44 entered service starting in 2019.

The Fandance is an advanced delta-canard design notable for its rather outsized canards. It is believed that the aircraft was designed for carrier operations, requiring the additional lift, but as of yet it is unknown whether thier capability has come to fruition or whether the design moved too far away from that original intent. The new design focuses on speed, endurance and payload. Its highly-swept wings are a testament to this design ethos, being optimized for transsonic and supersonic flight. Combined with its heavy armament, it appaears that the J-44 is intended as an interceptor and "AWACS-killer" (or indeed, of any other vulnerable C3 or logistics targets). Despite all the changes to the design, it is believed that at least some of the design was informed by the SPAAF's experience with Su-27 derivatives.

Perhaps the most intriuging feature of the Fandance is its twin dorsally-mounted weapons (or specialist payload) bays. Given the lack of all-aspect stealth, it can only be surmised that these bays are in place to increase maximum weapons payload. However, some analysists believe the frontal aspect to be stealthy enough for a "clean" J-44 to get close enough to its high-value targets and strike with its internal weapons. Regardless of the intent, it is known that it can fit either two TY-90 AAMs, one PL-9 missile or an internally mounted ECM pod in each bay.

The aircraft sports six wing and eight belly hardpoints, though not all can be activated at once (the type of weaponry deployed is the limiting factor). This example is sporting three PL-13D ultra-long range ramjet-powered AAMs, 6 PL-12E Medium Range AAMs, and two externally mounted PL-9s. The aircraft presumably has good internal fuel capacity, as they are only infrequently seen with drop-tanks on their long patrols over the South China Sea.

The J-44 made its combat debut in the Fiery Cross Reef incident in 2021, where the J-44 "Yellow 13" fired upon and destroyed two Phillipine patrol fighters that violated the proclaimed ADIZ. The incident nearly spiralled into all-out war, but conflict was thankfully avoided. This incident was one of the key reasons that the Philippines joined the EADA in 2022.

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Any fans of Ace Combat out there will doubtless see the inspirations behind this build, specifically the CFA-44 Nosferatu (my 2nd favorite AC superfighter). I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I did building it!

Taken on: May 15, 2016

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Sets appears in: • J-44 "Fandance"

Groups appears in: • LEGO • LEGO Military more » • Lego Aircraft • Lego Modern Military • AFOL 16+ • Legend Bricks • Lego Military Models « less

Camera: Canon EOS REBEL T3, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, 21mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS REBEL T3
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Focal Length:	21mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Manual
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	paint.net 4.0.9
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