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A great example is the Chengdu J-20, which was a direct clone of the F-22 using plans stolen from Lockheed Martin. The J-31 is heavily inspired by but not a com

by mike_d 5y ago

A great example is the Chengdu J-20, which was a direct clone of the F-22 using plans stolen from Lockheed Martin. The J-31 is heavily inspired by but not a complete clone of the F-35 because the latter was still under heavy development when the plans were stolen. (https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chinese-national-who-conspired-hack-us-defense-contractors-systems-sentenced-46-months https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chinese-national-who-conspire...) The J-15 is a clone of the Russian Su-33, reverse engineered from a physical jet they obtained from Ukraine. The only real modifications are the use of lighter composite materials so that the inferior launchers on Chinese carriers could get them in the air. (https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/high-cost-china-paying-copying-stolen-su-33-russian-jet-fighter-118486 https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/high-cost-china-payin...) These examples are all military because private companies are unwilling to publicize their designs were stolen, and the government is unwilling to admit they couldn't protect private industry.

FooBarWidget 5y ago
There are instances of copying. That doesn't mean all successful technologies are copied. Some technologies are harder to independently develop. Supposedly advanced jet engines are really really hard, but space technology strangely less so, because of lower safety requirements. In other words: for the claim "their space technology is stolen", more proof is needed. Just because they copied some other area is not enough proof to say they copied this area.
- mike_d 5y ago
  The burden of proof is not on a random person on the internet to investigate their space program. I can't prove the technology is stolen, just as much as you can't prove that it isn't. We are not nation-states and don't have the access or resources. But a reasonable person can look at a pattern of behavior and extrapolate. If China in this case was a CS academic that had plagiarized a few papers, HN wouldn't be falling over themselves to give them the benefit of the doubt on their latest work.

by mike_d 5y ago

FooBarWidget 5y ago

There are instances of copying. That doesn't mean all successful technologies are copied. Some technologies are harder to independently develop. Supposedly advanced jet engines are really really hard, but space technology strangely less so, because of lower safety requirements. In other words: for the claim "their space technology is stolen", more proof is needed. Just because they copied some other area is not enough proof to say they copied this area.

mike_d 5y ago
The burden of proof is not on a random person on the internet to investigate their space program. I can't prove the technology is stolen, just as much as you can't prove that it isn't. We are not nation-states and don't have the access or resources. But a reasonable person can look at a pattern of behavior and extrapolate. If China in this case was a CS academic that had plagiarized a few papers, HN wouldn't be falling over themselves to give them the benefit of the doubt on their latest work.