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New PRC stealth
fighter makes test flight
AFP, BEIJING
China¡¦s second stealth fighter has made its first test flight, state media
reported yesterday, in a boost to the country¡¦s air capabilities even though the
plane is unlikely to be deployed for years.
The J-31, the second stealth plane to be unveiled by China in less than two
years, flew for 11 minutes on Wednesday morning, the state-run Global Times
reported, citing an eyewitness. Two Chinese-made J-11 fighters accompanied it on
the flight.
Photographs posted online by Chinese military enthusiasts appeared to show the
black-painted combat plane in mid-flight near the northeastern city of Shenyang.
Images of the aircraft were first leaked online in September.
China¡¦s first stealth fighter, the J-20, was unveiled early last year, but is
not expected to enter service until 2018. The country¡¦s first aircraft carrier
entered service last month, with others capable of carrying aircraft expected to
follow.
The J-31 appears to be more mobile than the J-20, with its landing gear
suggesting it is designed to be launched from an aircraft carrier, military
expert Andrei Chang said.
He said the J-31 appeared similar to the latest ¡§fifth¡¨ generation of
US-designed stealth fighters, but with a less powerful engine and a lower
proportion of sophisticated radar-blocking composite materials.
¡§In terms of design it appears the J-31 is inferior to the latest US planes,¡¨
said Chang, head of the Kanwa Information Center, which monitors China¡¦s
military. ¡§The layout is similar, but the material and quality are inferior.¡¨
A long testing process means the aircraft is unlikely to be put into action for
nearly a decade.
¡§It will take at least seven or eight years before it can be commercially sold,¡¨
Chang said, adding that the test flight was timed to coincide with the run-up to
China¡¦s once-in-a-decade leadership transition.
¡§I think the regime is trying to show off to their colleagues that the Hu Jintao
(JÀAÀÜ) regime achieved a lot for China,¡¨ he said, adding that the J-31¡¦s
manufacturers hoped to export the plane to Chinese allies such as Pakistan.
¡§I think it¡¦s a fairly straight forward evolution to develop advanced fighters
at this time, but you can¡¦t read too much into it in terms of capabilities,¡¨
Greg Waldron of Flightglobal magazine in Singapore told The Associated
Press.
The smaller and nimbler J-31 appeared intended for a fighter-interceptor role
similar to the US Joint Strike Fighter, while the heavier J-20 would target
airfields, warships and other ground targets, he said.
China says its defense spending will top US$100 billion this year, the latest in
a series of budget increases to the country¡¦s 2.3 million-strong military.
Decades of increased investment saw the country fall from being the world¡¦s
largest importer of arms in 2007 to the fourth-largest by last year, the
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said.
Additional reporting by AP
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