Photos taken during preparations for the Changchun Airshow, released on 17/9, show a J-20 stealth fighter belonging to China's 19th Air Brigade landing at the city's airport.

Aviation experts point out the manufacturing code "CB10300" beneath the cockpit, indicating this J-20 is from the 10th production batch and the 300th aircraft produced over the past 16 years.

The manufacturing number on a Chinese J-20 fighter in a photo posted on 12/9. Photo: X/RupprechtDeino

In comparison, the US built a total of 195 F-22 stealth fighters between 1996 and 2011. This means China has produced at least 1.5 times the total number of F-22s manufactured by the US.

The US Air Force currently operates 178 F-22 fighters, but only 125 are combat-ready, with an availability rate of just over 50% at any given time.

Thirty-two F-22 Block 20 aircraft are currently used only for training and are not combat-capable without extensive upgrades. The US Air Force has repeatedly proposed retiring these F-22 Block 20s, but Congress has blocked these efforts.

Brigadier General Doug Wickert, commander of the 412th Test Wing, predicted in January that by 2027, China will possess 12 times more modern fighter aircraft than US forces deployed in the Asia-Pacific region, with a 5:3 ratio for 5th-generation fighters.

However, the US maintains an overall advantage in stealth fighters due to the much larger production numbers of the F-35. Including foreign sales, approximately 1,200 F-35s of all variants have been produced.

A J-20 fighter at the airport in Changchun, China, in a photo taken on 12/9. Photo: X/RupprechtDeino

The J-20 is one of China's two 5th-generation fighters, alongside the J-35, which was unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow last year.

The J-20 has three variants: the J-20A, with a modified nose, shorter cockpit canopy, and extended spine for additional fuel, avionics, and electronic warfare equipment; and the recently revealed two-seat J-20S.

All three appear to use the WS-10C engine, an interim solution while engineers finalize the more powerful WS-15. In late 2024, images on social media showed a J-20A prototype equipped with WS-15 engines, but the deployment timeline remains unclear.

Pham Giang (Aviationist, Simple Flying)