Everyone Is Starting To Notice China`s Air Force

China's J-20 Stealth Fighter, China Defense Blog

China’s Air Force: Ready For Take Off? -- Oriana Skylar Mastro and Michael S. Chase, The Diplomat

As China’s power and influence continues to grow, the question of how it will behave in the international system looms over the heads of decision makers in almost every capital in the world. Though Chinese intentions are unknown, and likely not yet determined even by the top leadership, China’s global interests are growing and Beijing’s need to protect them is undoubtedly increasing. This has clearly put a premium on developing the air and naval capabilities needed to project power beyond China’s borders into the Asia-Pacific as well as space and cyberspace.

As China’s leadership grapples with these broader questions, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been making some significant leadership choices that provide insight into how the CCP will handle these challenges. On Sunday the Party leadership promoted army general Fan Changlong and former commander of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) General Xu Qiliang to serve as vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the powerful Party body that controls China’s rapidly modernizing armed forces.

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My Comment: U.S. military leaders have been raising the alarms for a quite a long time on what China is doing with its air force .... it appears that some are now taking notice. A good review on China's jet fighter program is here.

China's Newest Stealth Fighter The J-31 Has It's Maiden Flight

J-31

China's Newest Stealth Fighter Flies -- Foreign Policy

If these pictures are real, then China has flown two new types of stealth fighters in less than two years. You're looking at what's supposedly the newly unveiled Shenyang Aircraft Corporation's J-31 jet flying in the skies over China on Oct. 31.

Chinese military blogs claim these extremely grainy photos (above and below) show the jet taking a 10-minute test flight accompanied by a J-11 fighter (a reverse engineered version of the Russian Sukhoi Su-27).

The first photos of the Shenyang J-31 emerged on the Chinese Internet forums last month.

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More News On China's Newest Stealth Fighter

J-31 fighter roars off on maiden flight -- Global Times
China's 2nd stealth fighter makes debut -- Global Times
China’s Newest Stealth Fighter Takes Flight -- Danger Room
PICTURES: New Chinese fighter conducts maiden flight -- Flight Global
China’s New J-31 Stealth Fighter Takes Off on Maiden Flight -- Defense Update

WNU Editor: Now what they need is a better engine.

China's Third J-20 Stealth Fighter?

China's J-20 Stealth Fighter, China Defense Blog

This Might Be China's Third J-20 Stealth Fighter -- Foreign Policy

A quick update on China's stealth fighter program: Photos newly published on a Chinese Web sites show what might be a third prototype J-20 stealth jet.

China has two different types of stealthy-looking fighters: the large J-20 and the smaller J-31. Many speculate that because of its large size, the J-20 is high-speed interceptor designed to fly out and shoot down enemy bombers -- similar to the old Soviet MiG-25 Foxbat -- or that it is a high-speed stealthy bomber designed to use a combination of stealth and speed to penetrate enemy air defenses and fire cruise missiles or bombs at targets such as bases or ships.

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My Comment: A good review on China's jet fighter program is here.

China Bets Big On It's Stealth Fighter Program

J-31. Photo from Aviation Week

China’s New Stealth Fighter Gambit -- James Hardy, The Diplomat

Was the jet crafted from stolen intelligence? Could it be used on China's new aircraft carrier? With photos appearing online of another Chinese stealth fighter, questions are mounting.

China’s defense industry seems to be up to its new trick of unveiling its latest toy when a senior U.S. official visits Beijing.

Following the playbook established in January 2011 when Chengdu’s J-20 stealth fighter had its maiden test flight just in time to overshadow the visit of then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, rival aerospace firm Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) accidentally-on-purpose allowed some high-definition images of its own fifth-generation fighter jet to appear on the web over the weekend. Coincidentally, current Pentagon chief Leon Panetta had just kicked off an Asian tour that included a stopover in Beijing.

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My Comment: I suspect that the Chinese still have a long way to go before they can match the U.S. Air Force .... but they are making an effort.

Making Sense Of China’s Second ‘Stealth’ Fighter Prototype

Shenyang J-21. Photo: via China Defense Blog

Double Vision: Making Sense of China’s Second ‘Stealth’ Fighter Prototype -- Wall Street Journal

In the span of a week, Chinese government vessels have been dispatched to waters near the contested Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, anti-Japanese riots have erupted in major Chinese cities — and a new highly-prestigious piece of military hardware has been unveiled.

As if U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta didn’t have enough to contend with on his current China visit, photos leaked online on Sunday suggest Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) is making substantial progress on a stealth aircraft prototype, which Chinese netizens and foreign analysts have variously dubbed the “J-21,” “J-31,” and “F60”—a possible future export variant. SAC itself seems to have painted a “31001” designation on the aircraft. (For purposes of consistency, we will henceforth refer to the aircraft as the “J-31.”) The timing of the photo release echoes the events surrounding former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ January 2011 visit to China, when the PLA conducted a surprise test flight of Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC)’s J-20 late-generation strike fighter prototype.

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My Comment: Another must read post on new developments in China's developing air-force.