China appears ready to begin mass production of first stealth fighter jet, state media suggest
Xinhua publishes photos of a J-20 jet that carries number indicating the final stage has been reached
China “may” have started mass production of its first stealth fighter, the J-20, a state media report suggests.
The clue came in slightly blurry photos that Xinhua published on Sunday. They show a plane parked on a runway at an unidentified military airfield, coated in a yellowish paint typically used before the application of radar absorption material.
The jet was identical to ones believed to be J-20 prototypes seen in public in previous years. But the key difference was the number painted below the cockpit – “2101”. Earlier versions were numbered 2012 or 2017 or some variation of the final two digits.
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The appearance of 2101 “may indicate the J-20 has moved from the test flight period to initial mass production”, Xinhua reported, adding the arrival of the final stage would not be surprising. The “2017” version, seen earlier this year, carried only minor changes from its predecessors, such as a reshaped cockpit canopy to provide better visibility for the pilot.
The absence of big design changes in the new model indicates the recent prototypes were very close to production configuration.
