America’s F-35 fighter jet vs China’s J-20: which is better, cheaper, stealthier?
Although few details are known about China’s most advanced fighter under development, it is assumed it will cost much less than its US equivalent
US president-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that the cost of building the US military’s next-generation fighter jet, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, had spiralled “out of control”.
“The F-35 programme and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th,” Trump wrote on his Twitter account, referring to the day he will be sworn in as president.
Trump’s criticism amid a sluggish US economy revealed the expensive deal between the US government and the jet’s designer and manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which has pushed the cost beyond US$400 billion, making the plane the most expensive weapons system in military history.
Compared with the US’s F-35, China’s newest J-20 warplane is much cheaper.
Below is a brief comparison of the two fighter jets.
When were the United States’ F-35 and China’s J-20 first unveiled?
The F-35 made its debut flight on December 15, 2006. A decade later on August 2, 2016, the US Air Force declared its first squadron of F-35A fighters combat ready. The fifth-generation combat aircraft is designed to perform ground attack and air defence missions.
The J-20 stealth fighter was first unveiled in 2011. It made its first public flight at an air show in the southern city of Zhuhai in November this year. It is believed to be China’s most advanced fighter under development by the nation’s military.