Key Points and Summary – China’s J-20 “Mighty Dragon” is notable for what it doesn’t carry: an internal gun. Rather than a design flaw, that omission reflects Beijing’s view of future air combat.
-Engineers prioritized stealth, internal volume for fuel and sensors, and long-range missile bays over close-in dogfighting.
J-20 on the Tarmac. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-The PLAAF expects the J-20 to operate as a first-look, first-shot killer, striking tankers, AWACS and fighters from beyond visual range as part of a wider anti-access strategy.
-In a force built around standoff weapons and long-range precision strikes, a gun is extra weight China believes it can live without.
-That choice says a lot about how Beijing expects the next war in the air to be fought.
China’s Stealth J-20 Has No Gun: Here’s Why
In recent months, the Chengdu J-20 “Mighty Dragon” – China’s premier stealth fighter – has been seen working expanded patrols across the eastern and southern theater commands, including in regions near the East China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
It’s clear that the Mighty Dragon is serving an increasingly significant role in Beijing’s power-projection strategy – but what stands out, in particular, is the nature of the aircraft.
For those who aren’t entirely familiar with aircraft design, there’s an omission that may, at first glance, seem like a significant flaw: it has no internal cannon or gun.
There’s a reason why, of course – and understanding this design feature is essential for understanding the broader intent of China’s air combat doctrine.
Why the J-20 Has No Gun
From the early days of the J-20’s development, observers have noted the absence of any visible gun port or internal cannon bulge on the J-20 – something almost universally seen in earlier generations of fighters. But there are several factors that help explain this omission.
J-20 Fighter from Chinese PLAAF. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
This is not, after all, a failure of design.
First, stealth and internal volume were clearly the priority for the J-20 – not dogfighting abilities. Fitting an internal cannon on an aircraft imposes additional weight, structural complexity, ammunition storage requirements, and either a door or boom opening that can compromise the radar cross-section of a stealthy aircraft.
And while China’s stealth is certainly nothing to be scoffed at, it’s still not at the same level as that seen on American stealth aircraft – and reducing that effectiveness further can be hard to justify, depending on the environment.
China weighed its options when developing the J-20 and preparing it for service.
Internal cannons were seen as unnecessary, much in the same way that the United States’ F-35B and C lack internal cannons, too.
Second, it’s important to consider the fact that the People’s Liberation Army’s evolving air-combat strategy emphasises beyond-visual-range engagement using advanced, long-range missiles, rather than close-in dogfights. It’s not just a trend in China’s strategy and air force, either. It’s global.
Small and large forces alike are looking for ways to leverage automation, artificial intelligence, long-range missiles, and drone technology to make fighting less risky, less expensive, and more effective.
Dogfights are old-fashioned at this point.
China J-20 Weapons. Image Credit: Chinese Weibo.
The J-20 has long been recognized as optimized for long-range interception, high-value asset strike (think tankers and AWACS), and standoff air dominance.
There’s also the matter of internal space, which is consumed by fuel, sensors, avionics, and internal weapons bays for long-range missiles like the PL-15.
A gun and all the ammunition required to make it useful would take up a considerable amount of volume and weight – and it’s not even necessary for most of the J-20’s missions.
The absence of a cannon may seem surprising, and it’s certainly not without risk – but this is a matter of making the right decisions when faced with competing priorities.
What We Know About China’s Airpower Strategy
The decisions made about the J-20 give the world a glimpse of its role and of China’s airpower strategy in general.
Originally developed under the J-XX program in the late 1990s and first flown in 2011, the J-20 entered limited service in 2017 and has since been accelerated into frontline units.
According to open-source data, by mid-2024, the PLAAF had deployed multiple brigades equipped with J-20s, with further expansion expected through 2026.
Its armament reinforces the expectation that China will continue to focus on long-range engagement. Its internal bays carry the PL-15, a long-range air-to-air missile, and side bays are designed for shorter-range PL-10s.
This wouldn’t be the case unless China were doubling down on long-range tactics. The J-20, therefore, is clearly intended to either attack or neutralize enemies before an engagement even reaches the visual range zone.
In practice, the J-29 is being positioned as a penetration, first-look, and kill-chain platform. That means it can strike high-value support assets rather than engage head-to-head with peer fighters – fighters that may, in fact, also lack internal cannons.
The J-20 Has No Guns and No Worries
China is clearly expanding its focus on long-range, first-shot engagements, and that’s also reflected in its broader military posture. Just this month, Beijing unveiled new DF-27 hypersonic missile drills and expanded bomber patrols around Taiwan – both systems designed to strike from a distance and push U.S. forces outward.
It’s the same philosophy behind the J-20’s missiles-first design. As China builds an enormous force designed to fight at arm’s length, the gunless J-20 becomes less of an enigma.
It’s obvious why it isn’t armed with an internal cannon.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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