The Chinese military ignited a firestorm of interest and controversy in January 2011 with the unveiling of its new J-20 stealth fighter aircraft.
Top Secret Development
The J-20 fighter airplane is the first stealth aircraft developed by the Chinese military. Observers and analysts have said that the J-20 is an indication of the growing sophistication and power of China’s Armed Forces. China’s defense budget more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2010 to about $80 billion a year. The stealth fighter still has to undergo a number of tests before it enters service with China’s Air Force. China’s state-operated news media has stated that the J-20 will go into active service by 2019.
However, initial public tests conducted in January 2011 had some military observers comparing the J-20 fighter aircraft to the U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Raptor, which is widely considered the most advanced stealth fighter jet ever built. In 2011, the U.S. was the only country in the world that had a fully operational stealth plane. Other countries such as China and Russia are developing their own stealth aircraft, and allies of the U.S. such as Australian and Canada are purchasing the U.S.-designed F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Mystery and Conspiracies
Official details of the J-20 stealth fighter have not been made public. The aircraft is largely shrouded in mystery. It is known that the J-20 is a midair-refuelable, missile-capable fighter jet designed to operate for long periods far from China’s borders. Initial pictures of the J-20 aircraft show that it is larger than the F-22 Raptor, which would enable it to carry a heavier payload and more fuel, but would also make it slower and less manoeuvrable than the competing U.S. fighter jet. The J-20 stealth airplane is being developed at the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute in China.
The unveiling of the J-20 stealth fighter has prompted a number of conspiracies about the mysterious Chinese aircraft. Some people have noted that the J-20’s tail is very similar to the tail of the F-22 Raptor, and suggest that the Chinese government may have copied some of the J-20’s design from the F-22 Raptor. Other conspiracy theorists have suggested that the technology for the J-20 stealth fighter came from a U.S. F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft that was shot down over Kosovo in 1999. The wreckage of the downed F-117 Nighthawk was never recovered by the U.S. military.