How China’s stealthy new J-20 fighter jet compares to the US’s F-22 and F-35
Defence experts says new jet ‘presents a real risk to US forces in the Pacific’
Two Chengdu J-20 stealth fighters headlined China’s air show in Zhuhai while only flying for only minutes.
But Justin Bronk, a Research Fellow specialising in combat airpower at the Royal United Services Institute, said the display left many questions unanswered.
On paper, the J-20 represents a “big leap forward in terms of the capabilities of the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) have on scene,” said Bronk.
Compared to the US’s current fifth-generation fighter jets, the F-22 and the F-35, the J-20 has “longer range, more internal fuel capacity, and larger internal weapons capability,” said Bronk.
This combination of factors presents a real risk to US forces in the Pacific. Long range, capable strike fighters like the J-20 put US “AWACS [airborne warning and control system], refuelling tankers, and forward bases at risk much more than current types if flying in relatively large numbers” should any kind of kinetic conflict flare up in the Pacific, said Bronk.