Aviation enthusiast Bernardo Malfitano has put together an interesting and compelling montage of dozens of photographs showing Chinese aircraft juxtaposed with the Western and Soviet designs on which they are based.
The collection spans 50 years of Chinese aviation development, with most of the early photos representing Chinese airplanes and helicopters built under license with the blessing of the former Soviet Union.
The more recent photos, on the other hand, are wholesale ripoffs, mainly showing pilfered designs from the arsenal of leading-edge U.S. fighters, transports and UAVs, including Chinese copies of the F-22 and F-35 fifth-generation fighters.
Creator of the website AirplaneDesign.info, Malfitano has supplied the raw images for your enjoyment. We have supplemented his work with additional photo caption information about this intriguing collection of Chinese aircraft, which shows, if nothing else, that imitation continues to be the sincerest form of flattery.
