China Reveals JL-9 Carrier Trainer Jet with Wingtip Split Rudders

An upgraded version of China's JL-9 carrier trainer jet features newly added wingtip split rudders which obviates the need for a tail parachute and could be applied to future stealth aircraft.

The JL-9 trainer with the wingtip rudders was revealed in  a PLA Navy video report showed JL-9 trainer jets in action, with one deploying wingtip split rudders during landing. Chinese media  reports indicate that wingtip split rudders are a new feature to an upgraded version of the JL-9 that made its maiden test flight in May 2020, Global Times reported.

Compared to the original JL-9, the upgraded version of the aircraft removed the drogue parachute installation located at the vertical tail, and adds wingtip split rudders, aiming to improve stability and low-speed performance, Chinese media reported.

The JL-9 trainer aircraft is used to train pilots for aircraft carrier-based fighter jets, which do not use drogue parachutes, so it is normal for the trainer to remove this design. The new split rudders act as air brakes, helping pilots practice carrier landings more effectively.

Using split rudders instead of drogue parachutes can also help lowering the weight of the aircraft reducing drag at the time of landing and take off, the report said quoting chinese aviation experts.

Beyond the JL-9, the wingtip air brake and split rudder technologies have potential in future stealth aircraft. To achieve better stealth, next-generation aircraft tend remove vertical wings, so they need to use other types of stabilizers to control the aircraft, and this is when alternative control surfaces like wingtip rudders become relevant.

Interestingly, the Chinese sixth generation fighter jets dubbed J-36 that have not been officially acknowledged by the Chinese military establishment feature upturned wingtips in several unofficial videos posted on social media. Could this be wingtip split rudders that the Chinese experts are talking about?