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Time of India
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
China's J-20 Mighty Dragon clashes with America's F-35 stealth prowess: What this means for India's air defence systems
The J-20 Mighty Dragon sits at the sharp end of China's air power. Originally designed for air superiority, it now seems the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force ( PLAAF ) is pushing it into wider roles. Chinese state media reports claim these stealth fighters are patrolling the East China Sea regularly, even intercepting foreign jets as reported by the Eurasian Times. In the words of Chinese blogging platform Sohu, CCTV News called the J-20 an 'important force', highlighting how the 'Wang Hai Squadron' runs 'combat readiness patrols in the East China Sea on a regular basis, so they have become the absolute main force in fighting with foreign military aircraft.' ET has not been able to independently verify these recordings. If these patrols really are routine, then Beijing wants the world to know it can challenge American stealth power head-on, right on its doorstep. Stealth face-off: J-20 vs F-35 On 1 July, CCTV broadcast that the PLA Navy's Liaoning and Shandong carriers staged exercises in the Western Pacific, while the J-20 fighters 'attacked and exchanged blows with foreign military aircraft in the eastern waters.' Live Events Just days before, on 29 June, CCTV said the J-15, J-16 and J-20 were scrambled to intercept and push back the F-35 A and F/A-18 Super Hornet. The Chinese state media didn't name the foreign jets directly, but the suggestion is clear. The Chinese article also claims that the J-20's situational awareness system — long-wave ground radars, multi-base radars, early warning aircraft and long-range optoelectronic sensors — spotted the intruding stealth jets well before they got close. 'Its effectiveness can be guaranteed when facing the US F-35A fighter jets, and it quickly discovered these stealth aircraft that sneaked into our air defense identification zone,' it stated. They didn't stop at detection. 'After discovering the U.S. stealth fighter, they immediately issued a combat order and ordered the J-20 fighter to take off to meet the enemy. This also indirectly proves the daily combat readiness of our Eastern Theater Air Force, which can be described as both tense and efficient,' the same piece added. Washington watching closely The PLA's J-20 has been in these high-stakes encounters before. In March 2022, US Pacific Air Force Commander General Kenneth Wilsbach said, 'It's a bit early to say what they intend to do with the J-20, so really all we've seen it do is air superiority. But we notice that they are flying it pretty well. We recently had — I wouldn't call it an engagement — where we got relatively close to the J-20s along with our F-35s in the East China Sea, and we're relatively impressed with the command and control associated with the J-20.' China's choice to send out its stealth fighters for interceptions — a job normally done by cheaper aircraft — is telling. The J-20 is no hanger trophy anymore. It's a workhorse for the PLAAF's message of territorial assertiveness. Bigger numbers, bigger reach Estimates say the PLAAF now has between 170 and 230 J-20s in service. By 2024, twelve brigades were flying them, with three brigades using them exclusively. By the early 2030s, China may field up to 1,000. Chinese military aviation expert Andreas Rupprecht says the plan is clear: full J-20 deployment across all five PLAAF theatre commands by 2026, with a focus on dominating the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. New tech is boosting its punch too. A 2025 breakthrough in silicon carbide semiconductors reportedly tripled the J-20's radar detection range to 1,000 km — well beyond the F-35's 200–300 km bracket. China has also announced the J-20 will be modified to carry nuclear weapons. Unlike the export-ready J-35 , the J-20 remains firmly off the market. Beijing clearly wants to guard this asset, just as Washington did with the F-22. Enter the J-35A Now there's the J-35A, spotted in the skies alongside the J-20 and the J-16D electronic warfare jet. If confirmed, this would make China the only other country besides the US to fly two distinct fifth-generation stealth fighters. After photos emerged online, Rupprecht noted: 'Based on this image and its serial number 61821, the J-35A is confirmed in PLAAF service flying within the 1st Air Brigade.' Design-wise, the J-35A looks more like an F-35 than a J-20. It's a twin-engine, medium-weight stealth jet with a tailplane wing and an Electro-Optical Targeting System. Unlike the heavyweight canard J-20, this one seems more flexible, possibly capable of precision strikes in future variants. There's a carrier version too. The folded-wing J-35 will serve aboard the new Fujian carrier, as well as the Liaoning and Shandong. Beijing plans to showcase its growing air power at a military parade on 3 September to mark 80 years since World War II ended. Expect manned jets, drones, cyber weapons and maybe aircraft the world hasn't seen before. Pakistan wavers on the FC-31 At one point, Pakistan seemed eager to buy the FC-31 — the export variant of the J-35A — to balance India's Rafales and Su-30MKIs. But Pakistan's defence minister, Khawaja Asif, now dismisses the chatter. 'We are not buying them,' he told Arab News. 'It's good for Chinese Defence sales.' That's a big turnaround, considering a senior Pakistani official told Jane's in May that FC-31s would arrive within months and that PAF pilots were already training in China. So, was this all bluff to spook India or genuine confusion in Islamabad's back channels? Either way, China's stealth jets remain front-page material. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
South China Morning Post
06-03-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China's sixth-gen fighter jet leaves US Air Force officials with ‘choices to make'
China's newest fighter jet emerged as a talking point at an American defence conference this week, with US Air Force officials showing more urgency to get their own version of a sixth-generation stealth combat jet. Advertisement They made the call at the annual Air & Space Forces Association's Warfare Symposium, held in Colorado from Monday to Wednesday, while discussing the future of a costly fighter jet programme – Next Generation Air Dominance – that was paused last summer. 'We have some choices to make as we observe what China has produced, and we can presume we know what that's for – for air superiority,' US Air Combat Commander Kenneth Wilsbach said during a panel discussion on Tuesday, according to American news outlet Defense One. 'What are we going to do about it? I don't believe that nothing is an option,' he said. US Air Combat Commander Kenneth Wilsbach says doing nothing is not an option. Photo: YouTube Wilsbach was referring to the unofficial debut of two Chinese sixth-generation aircraft prototypes in December that suggests the People's Liberation Army could have an early advantage in the race with its long-range, stealthy J-36.
