ZHUHAI: China’s new stealth jet fighter rocketed skywards yesterday as Beijing put on an unprecedented display of openness — and military force — at the country’s premier air show.
The black J-31 rose in a nearly vertical climb on take-off in Zhuhai before circling back and doing two rolls, in the aircraft’s first announced public appearance.
The plane’s existence has been the subject of rumour and speculation for years, with photographs appearing increasingly frequently on military websites in recent months.
Defence analysts say the J-31 is China’s answer to the United States’ F-35, though the Chinese jet lags behind the American one technologically.
The fighter’s Chinese name is “Falcon Eagle” and it is manufactured by a unit of Aviation Industry Corp. of China (AVIC).
China’s air force said the display of military might at the air show showed the intention to build a strong country.
Defence analysts said China appears eager to sell the new fifth-generation fighter abroad, also putting on display a model with a designation typically used for overseas destinations: FC-31.
“China’s defence industry wants to show the potential for export,” said Andrew Erickson, associate professor at the China Maritime Studies Institute of the US Naval War College.
Ally Pakistan is a likely first market, he added.
AVIC has already developed another fighter plane, the FC-1, in cooperation with Pakistan which was also on display at the show.
A large military transport plane, the Y-20, also made its debut at the show, flying lumbering turns over the crowd at its public outing yesterday.
“Of course, it is an advance in technology,” said the announcer as spectators craned their necks to see it against a smoggy sky.
Although the event was billed as an air show, new sponsor China North Industries Corp showed off a battle tank, the VT4, which proved a popular backdrop for visitor photos.
AFP
