China has reached a brand new threshold in its fifth-generation fighter program, confirming the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) now fields no less than 300 Chengdu J-20 stealth plane.
The enlargement underscores Beijing’s fast tempo in deploying superior fight plane and locations China second solely to the United States in operational fifth-generation fleets.
The affirmation got here in mid-September as 4 J-20s arrived in Changchun, Jilin province, forward of an air present opening this week.
– ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW –
According to main Chinese army researcher Andreas Rupprecht, one of many plane, bearing the serial quantity 63106, corresponds to the three hundredth manufacturing airframe. Rupprecht famous the development code “CB10300” seen on the fuselage indicated it was a part of the tenth manufacturing batch and the three hundredth J-20 constructed.
Rupprecht added that three different J-20s recognized for participation within the Changchun occasion carried serials 63005, 63101, and 63201, all tied to the nineteenth Air Brigade stationed at Zhangjiakou within the Ningyuan Autonomous Province.
On September 16, he shared a picture displaying, for the primary time, a J-20 positioned on static show, highlighting China’s rising willingness to showcase its most superior fight platform.
The fast enlargement confirms estimates printed by The Diplomat in June 2024, which assessed manufacturing at about 250 airframes and greater than 200 in lively service. Since then, no less than 50 new plane have been delivered, accelerating Beijing’s place within the fifth-generation race.
The U.S. Air Force, by comparability, fields 180 F-22 Raptors, although 32 of these are in older configurations primarily reserved for coaching and testing. FlightGlobal’s World Air Forces 2025 report counted roughly 246 F-35As in lively U.S. Air Force service as of the tip of final 12 months. The mixed American fleet of fifth-generation fighters stays bigger than China’s, however Beijing’s charge of supply is narrowing the hole.
The regular rise of the J-20 illustrates Beijing’s concentrate on growing a contemporary fight pressure designed to contest U.S. air dominance in Asia and past. The plane, typically in contrast with the F-22 and F-35, has been built-in into a number of brigades throughout China, increasing each its attain and operational familiarity throughout the PLAAF.
While the U.S. continues to spend money on upgrades for the F-35 and maintains the stealth fringe of the F-22, the pace of China’s output alerts a long-term competitors. With 300 plane now confirmed, the J-20 fleet has grown from a developmental program lower than a decade in the past into the spine of China’s trendy airpower.
