China’s J-20 jet fighters are no longer being kept away from the glare of the media since they entered service in March. Quite the opposite – party mouthpieces have been creating a buzz around the nation’s indigenous fifth-generation fighters, hailed as the cachet of the Chinese military’s air defense technology and manufacturing.
State broadcaster China Central Television aired an interview of a J-20 test pilot last week, who revealed that the brand-new air-superiority fighters, developed by Chengdu Aerospace Corporation, will be primarily deployed for precise and decapitation strikes, taking advantage of their all-aspect stealth even when armed, as well as low probability of radar interception.
The hangar in the background of the above photo has also piqued intense interest: It appears that J-20s can be parked in an ordinary hangar rather than one with constant temperature and humidity, while the US Air Force’s multirole F-35 Lightning II fighters are very expensive to maintain as they must be kept in a highly regulated environment to protect their ultra-delicate stealth coatings.
This means J-20s are more economical and easier to manage and can respond to emergencies more quickly than F-35s, noted an observer.
It has been reported that the US and British militaries have decided to reduce the F-35’s airborne time, rather than splurging money on an aircraft that is mocked by Chinese media as “eye candy.”
Beijing-based military magazine Ordnance Industry Science and Technology has also revealed that J-20 appear to be 20.77 meters in length, featuring a long and slim fuselage, with a wingspan of 12.99 meters and merely 15 tons in empty operating weight, after analyzing photos of the fighters. Judging from these specs, the fighter will be more nimble in real combat than foreign estimates.
With its compact dimensions and airframe, the J-20 may have no limits on takeoff from or landing on the next generation of aircraft carriers, Chinese news portal Sina reports, citing a source with the Dalian Shipyard, where the construction of China’s first nuclear-powered carrier is said to have commenced.
No fewer than 20 J-20s have been delivered to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, at a time when the Pentagon has stationed 12 F-35As at its Kadena Air Force Base in Japan’s Okinawa prefecture.
It is stupid to send the young people to test the strength of the Chinese J- 20 in a real fight.
even a strong American ally – India has declined in favour of French Raffaele.
This article is PURE NONSENSE! PLA Admirals have already dismissed the idea of deploying these FAKE stealth fighters on carriers since they are not designed for carrier operations.
Stationing these jets in normal hangars means the claim onf stealth coatings are FALSE!
This IS NOT a 5th generation fighter. Chinese engineers cannot develope reliable engines for thisnjet so they use old Russian SU27 engines instead. So the claims that this is a stealth fighter are FALSE!
Musthaq Mackeen No way you type like a fourth grader who prefers to text their homework AND happens to be a banker. Peace though.
Jerome Messier, your comment makes the most sense at a human level! Do we never learn from our mistakes? Why do people have to kill each other to prove a point?