The 2018 Zhuhai air show was used as a stage to flaunt some of China's ground-breaking military technologies. Chief among these is the stealth drone which is widely anticipated by many in the military community. However, none of this can equal the astonishment and surprise when the J-20 stealth fighter was finally unveiled.
Choosing the last day of the expo no less to stage the ground-breaking event, China flaunted two J-20 heavy stealth fighters. On top of that, these two highly-anticipated jet fighters were fully packed with surprises. While airborne, the two J-20s popped open they weapons bay and paraded their unbelievable set of armaments. This is the first time China flaunted such heavy armaments on an unreleased jet fighter, in a trade expo no less.
Despite highly unprecedented, those in the military community were quite impressed with what the Chinese J-20 jets were packing. Based on the photos taken during the expo, the J-20 houses four PL-15 medium-to-long-range air-to-air missiles on its main ventral bays. This type of armament is closely similar to the AIM-120D AMRAAM from the United States Air Force.
It is important to note that the J-20s have their fins clipped, and despite this, the jet can only carry four PL-15s. This is quite similar to that of the Chinese TF-22 missile configuration. China's People's Liberation Army Air Force has yet to release an official specs sheet for the J-20, so these reports are to be taken with a grain of salt.
Another interesting aspect of the recent air show is the fact that while the J-20s flaunted their armaments, the jets did not fire a single round. This led to many observers to have second thoughts as to what the jet's actual operational armaments will be. Some observers have noted that the jet can carry up to six PL-15s, based on the photos released during the jet's recent test.
What is even more interesting is the fact that the J-20 carries a pair of PL-10 missiles outside of its main missile bay. This is probably one of the most interesting features of the J-20, many observers believe.
A lot is still not known about China's J-20 stealth fighter jets. While this is true, the recent Zhuhai air show has helped shed some light as to what the stealth fighter packs once it hits the air within the foreseeable future.
