China Shows Off It's J-20 Stealth Fighter Jet For The First Time In Public

 

EurAisan Times: Chinese J-20 Fighters ‘Hog Limelight’ Ahead Of Zhuhai Airshow; Stunning Images Take Netzines By Storm 

China is gearing up to host the highly awaited 14th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as the Airshow China or Zhuhai Airshow, which will take place from November 8 to November 13.

The Zhuhai airshow, which defense enthusiasts from all over the world closely follow, is famed for providing in-depth insight into the country’s latest advancements in aerospace technology. 

The event’s preparations are already underway, with hundreds of firms from different countries beginning to assemble in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, Southern China.  

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Update: China Shows Off Stealth Fighter Jet In First Public Ground Display (Zero Hedge)  

WNU Editor: A new Chinese drone is also attracting a lot of attention .... Mystery Stealthy Drone Emerges Ahead Of China’s Big Arms Expo (Warzone/The Drive).

Is China's J-20 Fighter A Superior Plane Than The F-22?

19FortyFive: Could China’s J-20 Stealth Fighter Really Beat the F-22 Raptor in Battle? 

While it might almost seem like a question for a video game, U.S. Air Force planners are getting ready for a time when U.S. stealth fighters like the F-22 and F-35 could have to battle against China’s J-20 stealth fighter. Who would come out on top? An American veteran F-22 pilot took on a virtual representation of China’s Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter from the seat of a very real aircraft in flight back in 2020. The Chinese fighter was projected on the pilot’s augmented reality helmet-mounted display, giving a real pilot in a real aircraft the opportunity to train against a seemingly real foreign opponent. According to the two firms responsible for the test, this marks the first time such an engagement with a virtual adversary has ever been achieved.  

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WNU Editor: China is taking their J-20 program seriously .... J-20: China’s Plan for a Stealth Fighter to Rival the F-35 and F-22 (19FortyFive), and so is the US Air Force .... The Air Force is Using F-35s to Simulate Fighting China’s J-20 Stealth Fighter (19FortyFive).

Is China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Jet A Significant Threat?

 

Zero Hedge/Epoch Times: How Good Is China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Jet? 

How good is China’s most advanced fighter jet, the J-20? The J-20 is a “fifth-generation” combat aircraft, which ostensibly puts it in the same league as the U.S. F-22 and F-35. 

Fifth-generation fighters have certain common characteristics: very low visibility (stealth), the ability to fly at supersonic speeds without using an afterburner (called supercruise), and, most importantly, a highly advanced radar and suite of avionics and onboard computers for “networked data fusion,” enabling situational awareness in the battlespace.  

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Update #1: Newly commissioned J-20 stealth fighters on combat alert (Global Times)  

Update #2: China to start upgrading J-20 fighter engines in bid to close gap with US F-22 (SCMP)  

Update #3: China Boosts J-20 Stealth Fighter Production to Counter U.S. and Japanese F-35s (National Interest)  

WNU Editor: There are short-comings in the J-20. Avionics, stealth, and under-performing engines. 

It has also not been an easy journey to develop the J-20 .... Close calls for China’s J-20 before stealth fighter’s deployment, Avic says (SCMP). 

The PLA is working on its J-20 training program (see video below). 

Could China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Take Out U.S. Tankers, Surveillance Planes, or Airborne Command Posts?

Reuters 

Kris Osborne, National Interest: Could China's J-20s Take Out U.S. Tankers, Surveillance Planes, or Airborne Command Posts? 

Most likely not for a range of possible reasons. 

Here's What You Need to Remember: Could the Chinese J-20 5th generation stealth fighter succeed in destroying crucial U.S. tankers, surveillance planes or airborne command posts? The interesting question was posed by a London-based analyst cited in an article from Forbes magazine, raising the idea of whether such a prospect would, in fact, be true. 

The Forbes article makes the point that U.S. and allied air assets, at a deficit in terms of actual numbers, would rely heavily upon less stealthy surveillance assets such as an E-2D Hawkeye, Triton maritime drone or KC-46 tanker. 

“In wartime, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force likely would sortie J-20s to fly through the clutter of raging air battles along the Chinese coast, in the hope that the Mighty Dragons might punch through to the open air space of the western Pacific Ocean,” the Forbes article states. 

However, could this actually be possible? Most likely not for a range of possible reasons. 

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WNU Editor: If China wanted to take on the U.S. Air Force, they would first use their missiles to crater every US base in the Western Pacific, and then fly in their J-20s and other aircraft. In this type of engagement the U.S. Air Force would be limited in its operations and effectiveness. Mind you. The U.S. and its allies would then be launching their missiles at Chinese air fields and command posts.

Will China's J-20 Fighter Jet Surpass The F-35?

America’s high-tech F-35 Lightning stealth fighter has often been referred to as a flying computer, because of its AI capabilities. Credit: Lockheed Martin.

Asia Times: Can China’s next-gen stealth fighter surpass the F-35?

China's designer of the J-20, Yang Wei, says future jet fighter will have advanced Artificial Intelligence capabilities

In its ever-expanding push for military superiority, China has set its sights on a next-generation stealth fighter on par or greater than America’s F-35, that it hopes to field by 2035, says the chief designer of the Chengdu J-20.

According to the Global Times, the description of advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities and systems appears to mirror that of the F-35, meaning that it has an autonomous computerized ability to gather, organize and present an array of otherwise disparate pools of information for pilots, National Interest reported.

Quoting J-20 designer Yang Wei, the paper states, “a future fighter jet will generally require a longer combat range, longer endurance, stronger stealth capability, a larger load of air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons, and the functionality to provide its pilot with easy-to-understand battlefield situation images and predictions.”

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WNU Editor: The Chinese are very confident that their J-20 fighter jet will perform .... Rafales or No Rafales – Chinese Designer Explains Why Stealth, 5th Gen J-20 Jet Beats Everyone Around (Eurasian Times).

Update: Here are more details on the J-20 .... China's Enhanced J-20B Stealth Fighter May Arrive Soon, Here's What It Could Include (Warzone/The Drive).

China May Have A New Stealth Fighter

J-20. Via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes: Surprise! China May Have A New Stealth Fighter

China might be developing a new stealth fighter, if an announcement from the Chinese Aeronautical Establishment—a government research organization—is any indication.

For those keeping count, the new plane could be the sixth manned, radar-evading warplane in service or in development in China.

To put that in context, the world’s leading operator of stealth aircraft, the United States, has fielded six different manned stealth aircraft types, five of which remain in service—the F-117, the B-2, the F-22 and the three highly distinctive variants of the F-35.

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WNU Editor: It would not escape me if China has more than one fighter project in development.

China's J-20 Stealth Fighter With Its Air-To-Air Missile Has A Greater Range Over America's F-22 And F-35

Wikipedia

Mark Episkopos, National Interest: China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Has One Big Advantage Over America's F-22 And F-35

Range.

Key point: The American F-22 and F-35 fighters are now equipped with the latest AIM 120-D missiles, but a massive range deficit remains nonetheless.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force made waves at the 2018 Zhuhai Airshow with the latest showing of their flagship fifth-generation stealth fighter, the J-20.

As is common with airshow coverage, large swaths of the ensuing commentary focused on the J-20’s handling and maneuverability as it performed a series of rolls and a climb. But this elides what is perhaps the most significant aspect of the J-20’s Zhuhai showing: its weapons system.

During the performance, the J-20 opened its missile bay doors to reveal four PL-15 missiles accompanied by two PL-10 missiles on either side. The PL-15 is a long range air-to-air missile slated to enter service in 2018. Outfitted with an active electronically scanned radar and featuring a reported maximum range of up to 300 km, the PL-15’s impressive specifications place it in the ranks of the top air-to-air missiles along with the European Meteor missile and Russian K-37M.

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WNU Editor: There are still a lot of unknowns on what are the capabilities of the J-20. But what is known is that China is determined to have a fighter that can strike targets before those targets can counter-strike.

How Many J-20 Fighter Jets Does China Have?

Asia Times: Formation of J-20 fighters spark speculation

So far the PLA Air Force has not disclosed the total number of new J-20 stealth fighters at its disposal

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force for the first time showcased seven J-20 stealth fighter jets, the largest J-20 formation ever publicly shown, on Tuesday, leading experts to say China’s military is already operating a considerable number of J-20s, which could achieve regional aerial superiority and destroy the enemy’s strategic facilities deep in hostile territory.

In a video released by the PLA Air Force on social media, which was also the 74th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), as many as seven J-20s can be seen flying in formation, Global Times reported.

The number of J-20s flying in formation has gradually increased from two to five, and now seven, since China’s most advanced fighter jet made its first public appearance at Airshow China in Zhuhai, South China’s Guangdong Province, which was held in November 2016.

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WNU Editor: I am more focused not on what China has, but what do they want in the future. And what they want in the future is to have an air force that is the most dominant in Asia.

China's J-20 Is Not Ready To Get Into A Dogfight With The U.S.

Wikimedia Commons

Business Insider: China's J-20 stealth fighter has no cannon — and it shows the jet can't dogfight with the US

* China's J-20 stealth fighter lacks a gun, something the US's stealth fighters made a point to include.
* Dropping the gun from the J-20 likely means that it's not useful as a dogfighter and that many older US jets could defeat it in head-on close-range fights.
* But the lack of gun also indicates a new focus for the J-20 that may be more modern and relevant to real aerial combat than even that of the US's F-22 and F-35.

China's J-20 stealth fighter jet represents a massive milestone for Beijing's armed forces and the first stealth aircraft ever fielded outside the US, but the impressive effort still falls noticeably short in some areas.

The J-20 doesn't have a cannon and represents the only entry into the world of fifth-generation fighters that skips the gun, which has seen 100 years of aerial combat.

Enemy aircraft can't jam a fighter jet's gun. Flares and chaff will never fool a gun, which needs no radar. Bullets rip out of the gun already above the speed of sound and need not wait for rocket boosters to kick in.

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WNU Editor: A good review on why the J-20 is not ready for "prime time".

China Has Revealed What The J-20 Stealth Fighter's Mission Is

The J-20 has a lot of missions it excels at. Beating a US F-15C in close combat is not one. Times Asi/Flickr

Business Insider: China revealed the J-20 stealth fighter's mission — and even the F-15 could likely wreck it

* The makers of China's new J-20 stealth fighter revealed the combat mission of the aircraft, and one of its key tasks would most likely see it getting shot down by decades-old US and European fighter jets.
* The J-20 has an impressive stealth design and good missiles that make it ideal for attacking some key targets that could degrade or even cripple the US military.
* But when it comes to old-fashioned air superiority, which China says the J-20 will take on, the US's F-15 and Europe's Typhoon could most likely beat it with ease.
* The US's top air-superiority fighter, the F-22, outclasses the J-20 by a wide margin in terms of taking control of the skies.

The makers of China's new J-20 stealth fighter revealed the combat mission of the aircraft, and one of its key tasks would most likely see it getting shot down by decades-old US and European fighter jets.

The J-20 has impressed observers with its advanced design and formidable weapons, but the jet's actual combat mission has remained somewhat of a mystery.

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WNU Editor: The Chinese are well aware that their fighter jets cannot match what the U.S. and its allies have. This is why they are buying these fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft missile systems .... China Accepts Last Batch of Su-35s, Test Fires S-400 (AIN Online).

U.S. Marine Corps Built A Replica Of China's Advanced Fighter The J-20

Загадочный истребитель в аэропорту Саванны. Фото https://t.co/IdKUy98GB4. pic.twitter.com/qZVFhdNMJW

— Ivan O'Gilvi (@o_gilvi) December 7, 2018

Daily Mail: US Marines Corps reveals it owns the full scale replica of a Chinese stealth fighter that was pictured at a Georgia airbase

* J-20 Mighty Dragon jet was seen at Savannah-Hilton Head Airport, in Georgia
* The stealth fighter has now been confirmed as a scale replica used for training
* Speculation over aircraft included it being a film prop for new Top Gun movie

The US Marine Corps has confirmed that a mysterious jet spotted at one of its airbases is a replica of a cutting edge Chinese stealth fighter.

The aircraft, that is virtually identical to the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon, was pictured at Savannah-Hilton Head Airport, Georgia, last Wednesday.

The photograph was shared online sparking speculation that a Chinese pilot had defected with the jet or that it was a prop for the latest Top Gun movie.

Now, however, the United States Marine Corps has told the Aviationist that it is a full scale mock used for training.

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WNU editor: This confirms to me that the U.S. military is taking China's air force seriously.

More News On The U.S. Marine Corps Having A J-20 Replica

USAF Confirms: The Chinese J-20 Spotted In Georgia Is a Mock-Up Used For Training by the U.S. Marine Corps -- Aviationist
The US military put a fake Chinese J-20 stealth fighter at a Georgia airbase -- Business Insider
Cutting edge ‘Chinese fighter jet’ spotted at US air base sparking speculation pilot may have defected to West -- The SUN
Has China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Been Spotted at a US Airbase? (PHOTO) -- Sputnik

China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Shows Missiles For The First Time At Airshow

Two J-20s howling through the sky with their missile bays open, each showcasing six missiles as the stealth fighter jets celebrated the 69th birthday of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force on the last day of the Airshow China 2018 in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province on Sunday. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Global Times: J-20 displays missiles for first time in celebration of PLA Air Force's birthday

Armed with six missiles, China's most advanced stealth fighter jet, the J-20, opened its missile bay door to the public for the first time when performing at the Airshow China 2018 in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province on Sunday, in celebration of the 69th birthday of the Chinese People's Liberation (PLA) Air Force.

Chinese experts said on Sunday that the move displayed the J-20's superiority compared with the US' top fighter jets, the F-22 and F-35.

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Update #1: China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Stuns By Brandishing Full Load Of Missiles At Zhuhai Air Show (Warzone/The Drive)
Update #2: China shows J-20 jet's missiles for the first time at airshow: Global Times (Reuters)

WNU editor:  So the fighter jet is not an empty suit.

China’s J-20 Stealth Fighter Jet Performs Stunts for Public (Video)

Sputnik: WATCH: China’s J-20 Stealth Fighter Jet Performs Stunts for Public

Beijing’s fifth-generation stealth fighter participated in a variety of aerial maneuvers and simulated dogfights at an air show in China Tuesday.

Thrust-vectoring engines that are seen as key for aerial superiority were showcased on the advanced J-20 and the J-10B, a trainer aircraft, during the annual air show held in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, Asia Times reported Wednesday. At least three People's Liberation Army J-20s and several J-10Bs were powered by these engines at the show, according to Asia Times.

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WNU Editor: There appears to be problems with this fighter jet .... China’s new J-20 stealth fighter engine a no-show at Zhuhai air show after it fails reliability tests (SCMP).

There Is A Problem With China’s First Fifth-Generation Aircraft

Zachary Keck, National Interest: China's J-20 Is No Match for the F-22 of F-35

China’s first fifth-generation aircraft is having a major issue.

“China’s J-20 and J-31 stealth fighters cannot super-cruise, or fly at supersonic speeds like their closest rivals, Lockheed Martin’s F-22 and F-35 stealth planes, without using afterburners.”

China’s first fifth-generation aircraft is having a major issue.

As Dave Majumdar previously covered , China recently declared that its J-20 fighter jet had attained initial operational capability. “China's latest J-20 stealth fighter has been commissioned into the air force's combat service,” China’s Defense Ministry said on February 9. Chinese analysts touted the country’s achievement as breaking the Western stranglehold on stealthy aircraft. "The J-20 will also change the history of the air force in Asia-Pacific region. In the past, only the U.S. and its allies like Japan were capable of arming stealth fighter jets. But now, their monopoly in this region has been broken by China's J-20," Song Zongping, a military expert, was quoted as saying in official media.

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WNU Editor: It is their first generation stealth aircraft.

China About To Mass Produce It's J-20 Stealth Fighter

Flypast of the Chengdu J-20 during the opening of Airshow China in Zhuhai. Wikipedia

SCMP: China ‘nearing mass production’ of J-20 stealth fighter after engine problems ironed out

Improved power train will give Chinese jet ability to fly undetected at supersonic speeds, on par with United States’ F-35

A new and improved engine designed to make China’s J-20 stealth fighter a world-class combat jet should be ready for mass production by the end of the year, military sources have said.

The WS-15 engine features cutting-edge single-crystal turbine blades and has been in development for several years, but Chinese technicians have struggled to get it into mass production.

However, many of the problems – which largely related to blades overheating at top speeds – have been ironed out in ground tests and trial flights, putting the goal of a consistently high quality product in sight, sources told the South China Morning Post.

Beijing is keen to have a stealth aircraft capable of competing with the best in the world as tensions rise in the Asia-Pacific and the United States ramps up deployment of its F-22 and F-35 fighters in the region.

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WNU Editor: Wow. If true it did not take them that long to work out the kinks in their engines.

The Chinese Want Their J-20 Stealth Fighter To Take On The U.S. Navy

Flypast of the Chengdu J-20 during the opening of Airshow China in Zhuhai. Wikipedia

National Interest: Is China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Training to Fight the U.S. Navy?

China has sent its most advanced fighter jet on a new kind of training mission.

This week Chinese state media reported, citing a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force spokesperson, that its J-20 is undergoing an at sea training program. “The J-20 has conducted a combat training mission in sea areas for the first time, and this has further strengthened the comprehensive combat capability of the PLA Air Force,” Shen Jinke, the PLAAF spokesperson, was quoted as saying. He added that the J-20 has already participated in simulated combat drills with other PLAAF planes, including the J-16 and J-10C.

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WNU Editor: The U.S. Navy feels confident that they will be able to handle China's advanced J-20 (as well as Russia's Su-57) .... How the Navy's New Block III Super Hornet Could Crush China's J-20 or Russia's Su-57 (Dave Majumdar, National Interest).

India Says Its Fighters Can Easily Spot China's J-20 Stealth Fighter

China's J-20. Times Asi/Flickr

Business Insider: China's J-20 stealth jet has taken to the skies — but India says its fighters can spot it easily

* China recently made history as the first country besides the US to field stealth aircraft with its J-20 fighter.
* But the Indian Defence Research Wing says its Russian-made Su-30MKI fighter jets can spot the supposedly-stealth J-20s.
* Unlike the US's F-22 and F-35 stealth jets, the J-20 doesn't have all aspect stealth.

China recently made history as the first country besides the US to field stealth aircraft with its J-20 fighter, but reports from its regional rival, India, indicate that it may want to go back to the drawing board.

The Indian Defence Research Wing says its Russian-made Su-30MKI fighter jets can spot the supposedly-stealth J-20s, and has already observed them in flight.

Indian Air Force Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa said the "Su-30 radar is good enough and can pick it (J-20) up from many kilometers away," according to Indian news website Zee News.

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WNU Editor: I guess the J-20 is not as "stealthy" as the Chinese like to boast it is.

China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Jet Has Just Conducted Its First Maritime Combat Training Exercise

SCMP: Chinese J-20 stealth fighter jets carry out first sea training mission

Drill was conducted in ‘actual war conditions’, China’s air force says

China’s home-grown Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter has carried out sea training for the first time as the air force seeks to boost its combat readiness amid rising tensions with Taiwan and a regional arms race.

It comes three months after the fighter jet was deployed to combat units as part of Beijing’s huge military modernisation programme.

The PLA air force announced on Wednesday that the training had taken place, without specifying where or when. The drill was conducted over the sea in “actual war conditions” to “further upgrade the air force’s combat capabilities”, Senior Colonel Shen Jinke said on the air force’s official microblog.

“It will enable the [PLA air force] to better defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” he said, without elaborating.

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WNU Editor: The Chinese are definitely getting there .... Experts: China Is Already Capable of Challenging US Air Force in Battle (The National Interest Online).

More News On Recent Military Exercises Involving China's J-20 Fighter Jet

China's J-20 fighter jet undergoes 1st maritime combat training -- ECNS.CN
China’s stealth fighter hits the skies in first training over sea -- Defense News/AP
China's J-20 Fighter Undergoes First Over-the-Sea Combat Training -- The Diplomat
China's J-20 Fifth-Gen Fighter Successfully Completes Combat Training at Sea -- Sputnik

Is China’s New Stealth Fighter About To Surpass The U.S. F-22 Raptor?

J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter jet. Chinese Military Review

The Diplomat: How China’s New Stealth Fighter Could Soon Surpass the US F-22 Raptor

The J-20’s rapidly evolving combat capabilities could make it a world leading aerial warfare platform.

China’s Chengdu J-20 fifth generation air superiority fighter first entered service in early 2017, providing the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) with an analog to the U.S. F-22 Raptor. The platform was the first fifth generation fighter to enter service anywhere in the world outside the United States, and came equipped with state-of-the-art radar evading capabilities, avionics, and air-to-air missiles. The fighter’s canard configuration served to further enhance stealth capabilities while maintaining high levels of maneuverability. With less than a year having passed since the J-20 was inducted into service, the next generation platform has already received its first set of upgrades aimed at enhancing its combat performance. These upgrades are but the first of many to come, which could well lead the J-20 to become a world leading aerial warfare platform.

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WNU Editor: If the trend lines continue with the Chinese continuing to improve their J-20 fighter .... while improvements on the F-22 are slow and uncertain .... then yes .... China’s J-20 may surpass the U.S. F-22 Raptor one day.

China's Newest Stealth Fighter Is Using Low-Power Engines

The Chengdu J-20. Wikimedia

Popular Mechanics: China’s Super Fighter Comes Online — With Inferior Engines

The J-20 must make do with older, lower power engines until new ones are developed.

China’s first fifth-generation fighter, the J-20, is finally operational, but the jet already has one known flaw: it uses engines that produce less thrust than originally anticipated. The engine meant for the stealth fighter has experienced serious developmental delays, forcing the use of a less powerful engine. The result is an airplane that can’t quite live up to its potential, for now.

The Chengdu J-20 was first seen by the outside world in 2011, when it was observed during a visit to China by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Chinese aerospace giant Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation started development of a heavy, stealthy fighter in the 1990s, known as the J-XX, and the aircraft’s advanced features stunned experts who believed China did not have the technological prowess to design such a plane.

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WNU Editor: When it comes to warplanes, the U.S. Air-force has always had the advantage in avionics and powerful engines. And while I am sure the Chinese are going to catch up one day, that day is still far in the future.