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World Aviation Defense & Security News - China
 
 
China says J-20 stealth fighter will be deployed "in the near future"
 
China is still testing its first stealth fighter, the J-20 , but the warplane will soon enter service, the air force said, after pictures circulated in Chinese media suggesting it had already joined the active fleet. "The PLA Air Force refuted the rumor that the J-20 fighter has been deployed to troops on May 31," the PLAAF said today in a statement.
     
China ays J 20 stealth fighter will be deployed in the near futur 640 001A PLAAF J-20 stealth fighter aircraft
     
"Since May 30, some media has been reporting that "J-20s are in service in the Southern Theatre Command" and that "J-20s and J-10s are being used in military drills together". According to the official Weibo account of the PLA Air Force, those reports are not true. So far, J-20s have not been used to equipped the air force," the PLAAF stressed.

"Currently, J-20s and Y-20s are all conducting relevant experiments and test flights. In the near future, these planes will be deployed to the air force gradually to effectively enhance the combat ability of the air force," the PLAAF added.

The Chengdu J-20 is a single-seat, multirole stealth fighter aircraft manufactured by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) of China. The prototype is powered by Saturn 117S engines supplied by Russia. The production aircraft is believed to be powered by two WS-15 thrust vectoring turbofan engines.

The J-20 made its first flight on 11 January 2011, and is expected to be operational in 2018.

China has rapidly been ramping up research into advanced new military equipment, including submarines, aircraft carriers and anti-satellite missiles, which has rattled nerves regionally and in Washington.
 

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