China has put into combat service its new generation J-20 stealth fighter, a warplane it hopes will narrow the military gap with the U.S.
People’s Liberation Army Air Force spokesman Shen Jinke said the J-20 deployment would ‘help the air force better shoulder the sacred mission of safeguarding national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity’.
Shen was quoted by the South China Morning Post as saying the air force was moving towards a modernised military service that could operate in all fronts, and had become an effective force to control, contain and win a war.
China hopes its new J-20 aircraft will help it to assert its ‘territorial integrity’
it is thought that in general the new Chinese aircraft lags behind the American F-35 (left) and F-22 fighters (left and right)
Questions persist about how the J-20 compares to its American rivals – but what is not in doubt is that the Chinese are narrowing the capability gap
The J0-20 is now reported to be ‘operationally ready’ after it officially entered military service in September and subsequently undergoing extensive drills.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is overseeing a sweeping modernisation of his country’s armed forces, the largest in the world, including anti-satellite missiles and advanced submarines, seeking to project power far from its shores.
In a short statement, the air force said the J-20 had been commissioned into combat units.
The J-20 will further raise the air force’s combat abilities and help the air force better carry out its ‘sacred mission’ to defend the country’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, the air force said.
So how does the J-20 compare with U.S. F-22 and F-35 fighter aircraft?
The J-20 is thought to have a range that rivals the F-22 and F-35 – although its Russian engine is considered to be not so reliable
Engines: The J-20 still lacks an indigenously developed and designed next-generation engine, relying instead on Russian technology. F-22s and F-35s however are thought to have the most powerful engines ever to be installed in a fighter aircraft
Performance: The J-20 is still believed to be incapable of super cruising – sustained supersonic flight – whereas both American fighters are capable of this with more engine upgrades on the way
Speed: It is questionable whether the J-20 with its poorer thrust can match the F-22 or F-35 in this area as well
Armaments: The Chinese fighter has two large internal weapon bays for long-range air-to-air missiles and two small sidebays for short-range air-to-air missiles. Both U.S planes are equipped with cannons and missiles.
Range and maneuverability: The J-20 has large fuel tanks for long-range missions, carrying carries more fuel and weapons than the F-22.
Radar-evading capability: It is ‘doubtful’ whether the J-20 can match either U.S. aircraft
Sources: The Diplomat and Military-today.com
The J-22 was shown in public for the first time in late 2016 at the Zhuhai airshow and was first glimpsed by Chinese planespotters in 2010.
However, questions remain whether the new Chinese fighter can match the radar-evading properties of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor air-to-air combat jet.
Likewise there is doubt as to how it competes against the latest strike jet in the U.S. arsenal, Lockheed’s F-35. The F-22, developed for the U.S. Air Force, is the J-20’s closest lookalike.
China showed off another stealth fighter it is developing, the J-31, at the Zhuhai airshow in 2014, a show of muscle that coincided with a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama for an Asia-Pacific summit.
China hopes the J-31, still in development, will compete with the U.S.-made F-35 stealth aircraft in the international market, according to state media reports.
China’s air force is taking an increasingly active role in power projection, with exercises over both the disputed South and East China Seas and near to self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own.