Key Points and Summary on J-20A Stealth Fighter from China – China is set to showcase the J-20A, its most advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter, at a massive military parade in Beijing on September 3rd, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII.
-This latest version of the “Mighty Dragon” features significant upgrades, most notably the integration of the powerful, domestically produced WS-15 engine, which likely enables supercruise capabilities.
-The reveal is part of a broader, carefully managed information campaign designed to project China’s growing military prowess, intimidate regional rivals like Taiwan, and attract potential export customers, despite recent reports of Chinese disinformation efforts regarding rival fighter jets.
China’s J-20A Stealth Fighter Wants to Be Seen
Almost every day brings a new development related to the September 3 extravaganza that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has planned for Beijing. The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII and the surrender of Japan.
This event will be the third time since assuming office in 2012 that CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping will preside over a military parade at Tiananmen Square. As is the tradition for these events, the high point of the procession will be a showing of the most modern and newest weapon systems operated by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Xi previously held two major parades: one took place in 2015 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the “War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression”, which the Communist Party chief exploited as a podium to showcase his consolidation of power following a military purge. He was also at the head of another in 2019 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC.
Compared to the atmosphere in international relations that prevailed in those earlier years, the PRC is now experiencing numerous tensions and complex relations with Western nations and its trading partners. Ironically, the nation-state that ruled the country when Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945, the Republic of China (ROC), is now the government on the island of Taiwan—a territory that XI is today regularly threatening to invade.
The Shiniest and Brightest
This time, Xi will use the demonstration of these newest and most capable weapon systems—rather than the empty seats in the VIP box of those absent due to being purged—to telegraph the firmness of his grip on power. Foremost among these will be the Chengdu J-20A, the latest and most advanced version of this 5th-generation and allegedly stealthy fighter.
Xi will put the J-20A on display in the parade, which is a different aircraft from the J-20 prototype that first flew in January 2011. In many respects, it has evolved as much, if not more, than the United States’ late 1980s F-16C/D aircraft had from its 1973 YF-16 prototype.
Photos of the J-20A were posted last week on Chinese websites alongside photos of the Shenyang J-35, another 5th-generation Chinese fighter, to reinforce the image that, with not just one, but two new stealthy fighters, the PLAAF is the world’s most advanced air force.
The increasing volume of photos and videos has been reported in both state-controlled PRC media, such as the South China Morning Post, as well as on numerous unofficial Chinese aviation enthusiast websites. The aircraft has also been publicly displayed several times at Air Show China in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, with images and footage of those displays being repeatedly broadcast.
“Showing these modernized and latest model fighters is all part of an overall information operation by the PLA,” said a retired NATO-nation military intelligence officer. “They will keep drip-drip-drip style releasing photos and other data on these aircraft between now and September 3 to try and generate interest in the aircraft from prospective customers.”
New Technology and Disinformation
The PLA and other parties “hyping” the J-20A also fits with the latest news reports regarding leaked information from the French intelligence service.
News reports based on this intelligence data state that PRC Defence Attachés in different embassies were told to purposely report false claims about a larger number of Indian Air Force Rafale fighters being shot down by the Chinese-equipped Pakistan Air Force than the one aircraft that was actually lost in action. This brief conflict occurred at the beginning of May but was quickly truncated before it escalated.
According to more than one defense news outlet, the nation that has planned to acquire the Rafale, which the PRC is hoping to dissuade from following through on that purchase, is Indonesia. The PLAAF has roughly 42 of the original block series of the J-20 that Beijing is reportedly willing to sell to the Southeast Asian nation. Jakarta was also supposedly being offered favorable credit and payment terms.
The latest version of the aircraft, the J-20A, has benefited from some of the most comprehensive upgrades since the prototype first flew. The most significant of these is the equipping of the aircraft with the Chinese-developed and produced WS-15 Emei advanced turbofan engines.
Other images show the aircraft with its air intakes modified to feature diverterless supersonic inlets (DSI). These appear to be constructed with smaller compression bumps than earlier versions. These modifications optimize the airflow to maximize the performance of the WS-15 engines.
One of the Chinese media reports stated that the “smaller bumps are expected to improve both stealth and aerodynamic performance while supporting the engine’s higher pressure ratios and greater mass flow demands.”
Until September 3, one can expect to see these and other advancements in new weapons designs being broadcast on the PRC airwaves and published in every major news outlet.
Xi intends to outdo the pageantry of Vladimir Putin’s May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow in every way possible—and the showcasing (that is really showing off) has already begun.
About the Author:
Reuben F. Johnson is a survivor of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and is an Expert on Foreign Military Affairs and Director of the Asian Research Centre with the Fundacja im. Kazimierza Pułaskiego in Warsaw. He has been a consultant to the Pentagon, several NATO governments and the Australian government in the fields of defense technology and weapon systems design. Over the past 30 years he has resided in and reported from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Brazil, the People’s Republic of China and Australia.
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