2024 International Math Olympiad
Team USA
- Jordan Lefkowitz, 17
- Krishna Pothapragada, 18
- Jessica Wan, 18
- Alexander Wang, 16
- Qiao (Tiger) Zhang, 16
- Linus Tang, 18
China is #2. India #4.
There’s no Germany, France, or the Dutch in the top 20.
China demonstrating a prototype tailless next generation stealth fighter feels very much like a 'Sputnik Moment' because the US could have built something like this a long time ago but has chose other procurement strategies.
Without a tail it has some pretty complicated trailing edge control surfaces - looks like 5 on each wing. It looks like there's 3 air intakes for 3 engines, with one air intake on the top. This could mean a low speed stealth cruise capability using just the center engine with the underside intake closing to reduce radar returns.
Of course people say 'fighter' because the wing sweep suggests supersonic capabilities (with 3 engines it has plenty of power), and the fact that it has intakes on the bottom which are needed in high AoA maneuvering. It could easily have some other roles.
Also I keep seeing 'space capabilities' which somehow people are construing to mean 'can fly in space' rather than the more realistic 'can communicated with satellites for domain awareness'.