 In this photo of an FC-X1 Xiaolong multirole fighter performs during a demonstration in China. AP photo |
China appears to have completed a prototype of its first known stealth fighter, reports said Wednesday, highlighting Beijing's military modernization days ahead of a visit by the U.S. defense secretary.
Photographs published online and Chinese military sources cited by the Japanese media indicate a test model of the J-20 fighter has been finished, with taxi tests carried out last week at an airfield in southwestern China.
China plans to begin test flights of the J-20 as soon as this month, with plans to deploy the jet as early as 2017, Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper said, quoting Chinese military sources. The fighter will be equipped with large missiles and could reach Guam with aerial refueling, although it would take 10 to 15 more years to develop technology on a par with that of the U.S. F-22 stealth jet, it said.
"While strengthening efforts to advance to the open ocean, the Chinese military is rapidly proceeding with modernization of its air force," the Asahi Shimbun said. "The move may affect the military balance in East Asia."
In late 2009, the deputy head of China's air force, General He Weirong, said the country's stealth fighter would be operational sometime between 2017 and 2019, reports said. The United States is currently the only country with an operational next-generation stealth fighter - the F-22. In Jan. 2010, Russia unveiled a new aircraft touted as a rival to the U.S. jet, developed by Sukhoi.
The report came days before U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates heads to Beijing, one year after Beijing snapped off military relations with Washington in protest against a multibillion-dollar U.S. arms package for rival Taiwan. The two nations have already resumed military contacts at a technical level.
China's massive annual military spending has aroused concern among its neighbors. Japan last month labeled Beijing's military build-up a global "concern," citing its increased assertiveness in the East and South China Seas.
U.S. military officials and strategists meanwhile see Beijing as a potential threat to Washington's once unrivalled dominance of the Pacific. China has repeatedly insisted its military growth does not pose any threat.
Photographs published online and Chinese military sources cited by the Japanese media indicate a test model of the J-20 fighter has been finished, with taxi tests carried out last week at an airfield in southwestern China.
China plans to begin test flights of the J-20 as soon as this month, with plans to deploy the jet as early as 2017, Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper said, quoting Chinese military sources. The fighter will be equipped with large missiles and could reach Guam with aerial refueling, although it would take 10 to 15 more years to develop technology on a par with that of the U.S. F-22 stealth jet, it said.
"While strengthening efforts to advance to the open ocean, the Chinese military is rapidly proceeding with modernization of its air force," the Asahi Shimbun said. "The move may affect the military balance in East Asia."
In late 2009, the deputy head of China's air force, General He Weirong, said the country's stealth fighter would be operational sometime between 2017 and 2019, reports said. The United States is currently the only country with an operational next-generation stealth fighter - the F-22. In Jan. 2010, Russia unveiled a new aircraft touted as a rival to the U.S. jet, developed by Sukhoi.
The report came days before U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates heads to Beijing, one year after Beijing snapped off military relations with Washington in protest against a multibillion-dollar U.S. arms package for rival Taiwan. The two nations have already resumed military contacts at a technical level.
China's massive annual military spending has aroused concern among its neighbors. Japan last month labeled Beijing's military build-up a global "concern," citing its increased assertiveness in the East and South China Seas.
U.S. military officials and strategists meanwhile see Beijing as a potential threat to Washington's once unrivalled dominance of the Pacific. China has repeatedly insisted its military growth does not pose any threat.
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