Lavish claims are being made for the combat capabilities of the Chengdu J-20 heavy stealth long-range fighter, of which there are fewer than 30 in active service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).
A story appearing in China Military online spoke in glowing terms about the potential of the J-20, which the story, strangely, describes as a fourth-generation fighter in the same class as the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor air superiority stealth fighter flown only by the U.S. Air Force, and Russia's Sukhoi Su-57 twin-engine multirole "stealth" fighter, which will only start being delivered to the Russian Air Force in 2019 at the earliest.
Western military aviation, however, classifies the F-22, Su-57, and J-20 as fifth-generation stealth fighters.
Be that as it may, the story admitted that while the J-20 "hasn't had opportunity to be tested in the battlefield" unlike the F-22 and Su-57, it's been growing its combat capabilities at an accelerated pace and conducting realistic training. It also said the PLAAF is 15 to 16 years behind the U.S. Air Force in terms of combat capability and weaponry.
The J-20, however, assists in perfecting China's air combat system in three ways. For one, it will prove invaluable in upgrading future Chinese fighter jets. The second reason is that it enhances the integrated offensive-defensive capability of the PLAAF. And third, the J-20 improves the "confrontation capability of the air-ground joint combat system."
The J-20 enjoys air superiority and has "more powerful and comprehensive combat capability in seizing air superiority and attacking ground targets" compared to the U.S.-made fighters flown by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and the Republic of Korea Air Force.
The stealth fighter will further enhance the integrated offensive and defensive capability of the PLAAF said the story. In Air Offensive Campaigns (AOCs) the J-20 can be used to penetrate an enemy's air defense system first prior to the onslaught of friendly fighters.
Its air-to-air combat capabilities are enhanced by its "sophisticated, powerful, multirole active phased-array radar with longer detection distance and more powerful detection capability." The air detection range of the J-20 and other stealth fighters is two to three times that of third-generation fighters, a range similar to that of mid-sized early-warning aircraft.
The J-20 can also operate as an early warning aircraft providing early warning, command, and guidance for improved third-generation fighters like the Chengdu J-10 multi-role fighter; the Shenyang J-11 air superiority fighter; the Shenyang J-16 multi-role strike fighter and the Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighter.
The J-20 can also provide air cover and mid- and long-range air target guidance for other fighters in order to improve the air combat capability of a mixed air force fleet.
For ground air defense units, the J-20 can act as a "grindstone" that will test and sharpen the capabilities of radar defenses; surface-to-air missile batteries; anti-aircraft artillery units and electronic warfare detachments in detecting, tracking and intercepting American stealth fighters.
