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The Chengdu J-20 is China’s most advanced stealth fighter.
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The aircraft’s research and development costs more than 30 billion yuan ($ 4.4 billion).
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The J-20 had several meetings with the U.S.-manufactured Lockheed F-35 jets in 2020, according to the SCMP.
The Chengdu J-20 is China’s most advanced stealth fighter.
The jet was introduced to China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force in March 2017. The jet is manufactured by Sichuan Province Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group and is one of China’s most advanced military weapons.
It made its public debut in November 2016 at the Zhuhai Air Show in Guangdong, China.
The J-20 is only the third fifth generation jet fighter in history after the American-made Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35 jets. The Chinese Air Force had a fleet of more than 50 J-20 jets in 2021.
The Chinese jet has drawn comparisons with the F-35 since the jets were locked in military meetings in 2020.
The F-35 jet was introduced to the US military in July 2015. There are three variants of the jet: the conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) F-35A; the short takeoff vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B; and the conveyor F-35C. The variants are differentiated according to how the jet takes off and lands.
Lockheed Martin highlights the F-35 as the “most advanced fighter in the world” with very low observable stealth, advanced sensors, information fusion and network connectivity.
But there is fierce competition from the J-20.
The F-35’s encounters with the J-20 in the East China Sea had reportedly impressed a top U.S. Air Force chief, according to the South China Morning Post.
“It is still too early to say exactly what they intend to do with it [the J-20] – whether it’s going to be more like an F-35 … it’s primarily an air superior fighter jet that has an air-to-ground capability, “said US Pacific Air Forces Chief Kenneth Wilsbach in an interview with the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies in March Wilsbach added that Chinese pilots flew the jet “pretty well.”
The J-20 is a long and wide aircraft: it has a length of 23 meters (75 feet) and a height of five meters (16 feet).
The jet has a maximum speed of about 2,468 kilometers per hour and a travel range of about 5,926 kilometers, according to aviation site Aerocorner. By comparison, the F-35A has a top speed of 1,960 kilometers per hour and a range of 2,200 kilometers according to the Australian Air Force.
There are several variants of the J-20.
Some notable variants include the J-20A, the first version of the jet ever, and the J-20S, the world’s first double-seater stealth fighter.
China reportedly has the capacity to develop the jet for several other variants, including a bomber, an electric warplane and an airline-based variant, according to the military website Global Security.
The J-20 was originally equipped with Russian AL-31F engines.
The jets reportedly upgrade their Russian-made engines to the WS-15 afterburner turbofan engine, the SCMP reported in March. As part of China’s localization program, all J-20s will be equipped with Chinese-made engines such as the WS-15, a source told the SCMP.
In a 2020 report, the Hong Kong-based newspaper said the engine upgrade was to “bring its performance closer” to the F-22. The WS-15 engines would increase maneuverability and combat capability.
The jet costs between $ 100 and $ 120 million per unit, according to the Eurasian Times.
In the early 2000s, the preliminary cost of the jet was stated to be around 450 to 500 million Chinese yuan (about $ 60-70 million), according to The Diplomat. According to estimates from several reports, the price of the jet has risen significantly since then.
The jet’s research and development costs were estimated at over 30 billion Chinese yuan ($ 4.4 billion), according to the SCMP.
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