China debuts fighter jets as it moves into military self-sufficiency
China has showcased its long-awaited J-20 stealth fighter in public for the first time at the country's International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition. The long-range, radar-avoiding stealth combat aircraft was manufactured by the Chengdu Aircraft Industries Group and is designed to counter the US' Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. China's growing air power potential has been underpinned by an ever more capable local aerospace industry that is helping to push China towards self-sufficiency in regards to military aircraft research and development and production. President Xi Jinping wants to toughen China's armed forces as it takes a more assertive stance, particularly in the South China and East China seas.
Story highlights Public gets first look at China's newest fighter jets J-20 seen as China's answer to US F-22s and F-35s

CNN —

Two of China’s brand new, top-of-the-line stealth fighter jets streaked and screamed across an air exhibition on Tuesday as Beijing showed its newest military hardware to the public for the first time.

The J-20 fighter is called Beijing’s answer to the US F-22 stealth fighter and the F-35 that will be soon deployed in the Pacific by the United States and Japan.

J-20 stealth fighters of the Bayi Aerobatic Team of PLA's (Peoples Liberation Army) Air Force perform on Tuesday in their first public appearance. Yu ming/Imaginechina/Yu ming - Imaginechina

The J-20, a long-range, radar-avoiding stealth combat aircraft, first flew in 2011 but had not been shown to the public until Tuesday.

Two of the twin-engine jets made passes over the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, 35 miles (56 kilometers) west of Hong Kong.

China often uses the biennial exhibition to show off its newest military hardware. In 2014, it showed off its J-31 fighter at the exhibition, also known as Airshow China.

China unveils huge military plane 00:45 - Source: CNN

The J-20 is bigger than the J-31 but both are considered big steps in making China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force a Pacific power.

“The J -20 aircraft is China’s own new generation stealth fighter, developed to meet the needs of the future battleground,” Chinese air force spokesman Sr. Col. Shen Jinke said last week.

“Research and development are progressing as planned, Shen said.

“The aircraft will further enhance the overall combat capability of the Air Force, which would help the army’s sacred mission of maintaining the national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.”

China's domestic-built J-20 stealth fighter makes public debut at #AirshowChina 2016 in Zhuhai pic.twitter.com/rO8aoI237I — China Xinhua News (@XHNews) November 1, 2016

US general says F-35 has advantage

At least one US Air Force general has been unimpressed with reports on the J-20.

“When i hear about F-35 vs. J-20, it’s almost an irrelevant comparison,” US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said in August, according to a report from BreakingDefense.com.

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Armaments on the Spectre include 40mm and 105mm cannons. The Spooky adds a 25mm Gatling gun. U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor — The twin-engine F-22 stealth fighter, flown by a single pilot and armed with a 20mm cannon, heat-seeking missiles, radar-guided missiles and radar-guided bombs, can perform both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The service has 183 of the Raptors, which went operational in 2005. Justin Connaher/U.S. Air Force The single-engine F-35A is the Air Force's eventual replacement for the F-16 and the A-10. The supersonic jets, which will be able to conduct air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks, are just beginning to enter the Air Force fleet. Here, an F-35 Lightning II from the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, flys at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, April 15, 2017. US Air Force/Airman 1st Class Elijah Chevalier B-2 Spirit bomber — The four-engine B-2 heavy bomber has stealth properties that make it hard to detect on radar. 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It can perform both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions with its 20mm cannon and ability to carry missiles and bombs on external pods. More than 1,000 F-16s are in the Air Force inventory. Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald/U.S. Air Force/File C-17 Globemaster transport — The four-engine jet joined the Air Force fleet in 1993 with a primary mission of troop and cargo transport. Each plane can carry up to 102 troops or 170,900 pounds of cargo. The Air Force has 187 C-17s on active duty, 12 in the Air National Guard and 14 in the Reserve. SSgt Sean M. Worrell/USAF C-5 Galaxy transport — The C-5, with a wingspan of 222 feet, a length of 247 feet and a height of 65 feet, is the largest plane in the Air Force inventory and one of the largest aircraft in the world. The first versions of the four-engine jet joined the force in 1970. The Air Force expects to have 52 versions of the latest model, the C-5M, in the fleet by 2017. 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The US general said the US F-35 integrates with other US weapons and systems to give it the technological advantage, the BreakingDefense report said.

Goldfein said the J-20 employed technology more like the F-117A fighter, which the US Air Force first flew in the 1980s and which is no longer in active use by the US.

US Marine Corps F-35s will deploy to a US base in Iwakuni, Japan, across the East China Sea from China’s western coast, early next year, the Marines announced last month.

And the first Japan Self Defense Force F-35 rolled off an assembly line in Texas in September.