Do The Chinese Have A 5th Generation Jet Fighter In The Pipeline?

Lt Col Wade Tolliver, 27 FS director of operations, delivers the second permanent F/A-22 at Langley AFB on 8 June 2005 photo by TSgt Ben Bloker

DIA On China's New fighter -- The Washington Times

The Defense Intelligence Agency is sticking by its estimates of when China will deploy a fifth-generation jet fighter after recent remarks by a Chinese general that Beijing's most advanced jet could be fielded by 2017 - years earlier than U.S. intelligence projections.

"We believe that first flight of a Chinese fifth-generation fighter will occur in the next few years; however, we also believe it will take about 10 years before the [People's Liberation Army] begins to operationally deploy a fifth-generation fighter in meaningful numbers," DIA spokesman Donald Black told Inside the Ring.

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My Comment: I have trouble seeing the Chinese being able to develop a 5th Generation aircraft in such a short period of time. The only way this is possible is if they have been successful in stealing the blue prints for the F-22, and that they have a complete understanding on what each of the hundreds of thousands components on the plane are capable of doing.

I know that the Chinese are good at copying technology, and they are also good at manufacturing .... but to be able to do this at the same sophisticated level of U.S. jet manufacturers .... nope. I am sure that the Chinese will eventually develop a fifth generation aircraft .... but not in the next 5-10 years.