China’s J-20 “fifth-generation” heavy, twin-engine stealth fighter
The hero aviation group is the No.1 aviation group with a brigade under the PLA Air Force, which has been bestowed the honorary title “Pioneer Aviation Group in Strengthening the Military” by China’s Central Military Commission (CMC) in 2019. China MOD
Second Combat Brigade of PRC Air Force Likely Receives Stealth Fighter
China Aerospace Studies Institute / Published May 03, 2021
Something unusual appeared in a recent satellite image of an airbase in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In the image, a J-20 appears to be taxiing from the runway at Anshan Airport, a military-civilian, dual-use airport in northeastern China that is the home base of the 1st Aviation Brigade of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The J-20 is China’s fifth-generation fighter aircraft. Only three units are known to operate the J-20. Two of them are noncombat units, the 172nd Aviation Brigade at Cangzhou Airbase and the 176th Aviation Brigade at Dingxin Airbase; the third is a combat unit, the 9th Aviation Brigade, which is temporarily stationed at Quzhou Airbase. Therefore, it is unusual for a J-20 to operate from Anshan Airport, which is also known as Anshan Airbase.
There are a few possible reasons for the presence of the J-20 at Anshan. First, it is possible that the pilot was practicing long-distance flight and/or deployment from Quzhou and that he merely landed at Anshan to refuel before making his way back to his home base. The PLAAF does occasionally practice airfield-hopping for long-distance strikes, but these training events are rare, and given the advanced nature of the J-20, conducting such training with the J-20 would likely require specialized equipment and ground crewmen at each stop.1 Second, it is possible that the J-20 was deployed from Cangzhou to participate in the 9th Aviation Brigade’s air combat training, perhaps as an aggressor. However, individual pilots and entire PLAAF units regularly rotate in and out of Cangzhou and Dingxin, respectively, for training, so it is unlikely that the 172nd Aviation Regiment and the 176th Aviation Brigade would do the opposite for any single unit.
Instead, it is more likely that the J-20 that appeared in the satellite image was there because it is based there. Of course, the implication of this would be that the 1st Aviation Brigade would become the second combat brigade in the PLAAF that is known to operate the J-20. The 1st Aviation Brigade traces its lineage to the much-lauded 1st Aviation Division, which, like the 9th Aviation Brigade, was always one of the first units of the PLAAF to receive the force’s most advanced aircraft,2 so it would conform to past practice for the 1st Aviation Brigade to be next to receive the J-20 even if it does not seem strategically advantageous to deploy the J-20 to China’s relatively secure northeast.
During the PRC National Defense Ministry’s monthly press conference for January 2021, the ministry’s spokesman was asked whether the J-20 was being fielded on a large scale.3 The spokesman’s response emphasized the “objective laws” governing the research and development of an aircraft and the progressive testing that the J-20 has undergone.4 In effect, he answered negatively, but having another aviation brigade transition to the J-20 would suggest that his answer was not alluding to problems with the J-20. On the contrary, it would suggest that the PLAAF is satisfied with, and confident in, the capabilities of the J-20, and that more combat units are likely to receive the J-20 in the future.
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force officially deployed its J-20 stealth fightersto frontline fighter squadrons in 2018. Shen Jinke, a PLAAF spokesman, told the Xinhua News Agency that the new fighters were ready to “safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.” The PLA’s English website also mentions the J-20’s newfound operational status, which suggests the announcement was meant to raise the international profile of the modernizing Chinese military.
The J-20 is a “fifth-generation” heavy, twin-engine stealth fighter with canards (appendages on the wings that offer greater stability), advanced active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, and three internal weapons bays for air-to-air missiles and bombs. Similarly to to Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor and Russia’s Su-57 fighters, the J-20 is a high-speed fighter that’s very maneuverable, with capacity for long range and stealth.
Its large size and weapons bay has led many to believe it would also be used for long-range strikes and as an interceptor. It first flew in 2011, and low-rate initial production variants were delivered to the PLAAF’s flight test unit in late 2016.
The J-20 is vast improvement over its fourth-generation counterparts (the J-10 and J-11 fighters, which currently occupy the front line in PLA units), though it will still likely take China’s military a couple years to make full use of the J-20’s advanced radar and stealth.
And, of course, the J-20’s tech will continue to evolve. Around 2021, the J-20 is slated to get new WS-15 turbofan engines, which woudl replace the Russian AL-31FN engines it currently uses. The more powerful WS-15 engines will give the J-20 extra thrust to supercruise (that is, reach supersonic speeds without using fuel-thirsty afterburners) and more energy to maneuver. When that happens, China will further establish itself as Asia’s leading aviation industrial power.
RUSSIA
On July 28, Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe held talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Both of them are attending the Defense Ministers’ Meeting of the SCO Member States.
Wei Fenghe said that despite the pandemic and unprecedented global changes, China and Russia have maintained strong and unwavering bilateral relations, becoming an important stabilizing force of the world today.
In this June, the heads of state of the two countries announced the extension of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation via video link, demonstrating to the world the common will of the two countries to carry forward the spirit of the treaty, strengthen good neighborliness and friendship, and firmly support each other, said Wei.
Wei suggested that the two sides should continue to strengthen all-round and all-weather strategic cooperation and maintain a stable and high-level development of the Sino-Russian relations. In terms of dealing with the changing situations in Afghanistan and Central Asia and jointly fighting against terrorism, the two sides should get to know each other’s positions and arrive at consensus, strengthen cooperation and coordinate actions, resolutely safeguarding the core interests of China and Russia, unswervingly upholding the world equity and justice and regional security and stability, the Chinese defense chief said.
Shoigu said that Russia takes the Russia-China relations as an important and prior direction of Russia’s diplomatic relations. The military cooperation between the two countries in recent years has witnessed continuous expansion with fruitful results and reached an unprecedented height, setting an example for countries in the world.
The Russian side is willing to further strengthen cooperation with China in military and military technology and maintain good momentum of cooperation in joint exercises, military competitions and college exchanges, Shoigu said.
Shoigu stated that at present, there are increasing uncertainties in the regional security situation, Russia pays high attention to the new changes in situations in Afghanistan and Central Asia, value much China’s position on the Afghan issue and is willing to coordinate and cooperate with China and countries in the region to make positive efforts to maintain regional peace and stability.