- Sputnik International
Asia
Find top stories and features from Asia and the Pacific region. Keep updated on major political stories and analyses from Asia and the Pacific. All you want to know about China, Japan, North and South Korea, India and Pakistan, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

China’s Newest 1,305MPH Next-Gen Stealth J-20 Fighter Jet Soars the Skies

© WikipediaChengdu J-20: Will Japan's X-3 Dominate the J-20?
Chengdu J-20: Will Japan's X-3 Dominate the J-20? - Sputnik International
Subscribe
The advance of the J-20 fighter program is cause for concern for Japan which faces a several year capability gap until the F-35 Lightning II becomes combat ready – if it ever does.

China’s Chengdu Aircraft Company (CAC) has built a new Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) J-20 stealth fighter jets with video footage on Chinese websites showing the latest rendition in full fury this week. This is the second known J-20 LRIP fighter jet after the first with the serial number 2101 displayed in late December 2015. There are believed to be a total of four such next generation jets in the possession of the Chinese Air Force.

US Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders leave the stage during a break in the Democratic Presidential Debate hosted by ABC News at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, on December 19, 2015 - Sputnik International
Emailgate 2.0: WikiLeaks Cache Shows Democrats Conspired to Stop Bernie

The fighter jet is painted in shades of gray along with a toned down national insignia, but unlike previous J-20s, it has no identifiable serial numbers. China’s official Xinhua and CCTV news outlets have yet to confirm the existence of the new J-20 despite video evidence to confirm its existence.

Security analysts believe that the appearance of the LRIP fighter jet suggests that it is nearing introduction into service with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force well ahead of official US Department of Defense projections that the J-20 would become operational in 2018.

The J-20 soars at a top speed of 1,305MPH (2,100kmh) and features a stealth design comparable to Lockheed-Martin’s F-35 Lightning II although with far fewer reported technical setbacks and safety concerns. The J-20’s weapons are carried internally, with a central bay believed to contain four beyond visual range air-to-air missiles (BVRAAMs) as well as two short-range air-to-air missiles (AAMs).

​Only one challenge remains before the J-20 is inducted into the Chinese Air Force – what power source will be used for mass production of the fighter jet? Currently, the J-20 is powered by two Russian Saturn AL-31 engines, but Beijing hopes to eventually install 180-kN (40,000-pound-trhust) rated WS-15 turbofans, but the indigenous jet engine development program has run into a series of manufacturing problems that has delayed their full scale production.

Ku Klux Klan Meeting in Boca Raton, Florida - Sputnik International
Former KKK Leader Hijacks Trump Platform, Republican Party in US Senate Bid

The emergence of the J-20 over the skies of the South and East China Seas would provide Beijing with unparalleled regional air superiority as they continue to battle over the contested Paracel and Spratly Islands amidst US intervention and for the Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands against Japan. 

The advance of the J-20 fighter jet comes at a worrying time for Tokyo which faces a several year capability gap as they wait to see whether a functional F-35 fighter jet will ever fully materialize after the US prohibited their ally from acquiring the ultra-elite F-22 Raptor.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала