China has begun deploying its state-of-the-art military aircraft, the J-20, to monitor the East and South China Seas, Chinese state media reported.
Previous versions of the J-20 stealth jet used Russian engines – but those have since been replaced by twin locally produced twin engines. These gadgets were first unveiled to China’s new engines last year at Airshow China.
The deployment is aimed at “better protection of China’s aviation security and maritime interests,” the state-run Global Times reported Wednesday, quoting military experts.
Ren Yukun, a spokesman for the state-owned company J-20, added that it was “a training practice” for the J-20 to start monitoring as it now has Chinese engines, according to the Global Times.
The announcement comes just weeks after General Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of the US Pacific Air Forces, said the American F-35s and Chinese J-20s were approaching the East China Sea.
The East China Sea and the South China Sea have long been at loggerheads over territories, and territorial disputes over land.
China states that almost every South China Sea is as large as its independent territory. It has been building and making war bases there, converting islands into military bases and airports, and it is suspected of creating hundreds of navy.
At that time in the East China Sea, China demanded sovereignty over the Japanese-occupied Senkaku Islands, also known as the Diaoyu Islands. In recent years, the US has reiterated its commitment to protect the Japanese islands in the event of foreign violence.
Experts say the deployment of J-20s shows two things: China’s increased confidence in its military capabilities, and its warning to other countries involved in the territorial dispute.
With about 200 J-20s reported, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) “now has a large number of strong American-style soldiers, who are still a symbol,” said Peter Layton, a visiting colleague. at Griffith Asia Institute in Australia. He added that China’s message to the world was: “Any foreign military aircraft entering China’s so-called East and South China Sea could now be hijacked by J-20s.”
While such a move could have a political impact, the J-20’s broader action means it could patrol the sea, or stay longer in places like the East China Sea, Layton said.
A small structure, similar to a few jets, can also cause occasional deep roaming in the South China Sea, land to refuel at one of China’s island airports, and then return to the country. The PLAAF may even launch airstrikes on any US military personnel entering the South China Sea.
The shift from Russian engines to China also indicates China’s growing independence in military production, Layton said. “It’s not just that China no longer needs Russian assistance, it’s that Chinese-built aircraft are better than Russia.”
The fact that J-20s now have more reliable twin engines than the Russian ones makes these patrols a “sensible option,” which is probably why they had never been sent to patrol before, Layton said.
The J-20 has long been mentioned as China’s response to the American F-22 – considered the world’s best fighter jet – and the F-35.
A 2017 report by the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the new Chinese engines would offer the J-20 low-powered supercruise, meaning they could fly at higher speeds for longer periods of time.
U.S. officials have long said the J-20 would not be able to accommodate American stealth fighters – but Wilsbach, commander of the US Pacific Air Forces, said last month the J-20s were impressive when they encountered American F-35s. East China Sea.
“We are impressed by the order and control associated with the J-20s,” said Wilsbach at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies conference.
The United States has seen “professional flying” of Chinese pilots, he said, but noted that the US is not sure how China will use the J-20s, whether it is in the role of a number of machines such as the F-35 or in the airplane such as the F-22. .
Layton said the US, Japan and other countries would “be collecting electronic intelligence” on any of the J-20s as they sailed along the coast, hoping to gather more information about its hidden features, as well as any radio and datalink broadcasts.