The Stealth Chinese J-20 vs US F-35 & F-22

The engines are the problem 

Zachary Keck [2]

China’s first fifth-generation aircraft is having a major issue.

As Dave Majumdar previously covered [3], China recently declared that its J-20 fighter jet had attained initial operational capability. “China’s latest J-20 stealth fighter has been commissioned into the air force’s combat service,” China’s Defense Ministry said on February 9. Chinese analysts touted the country’s achievement as breaking the Western stranglehold on stealthy aircraft. “The J-20 will also change the history of the air force in Asia-Pacific region. In the past, only the U.S. and its allies like Japan were capable of arming stealth fighter jets. But now, their monopoly in this region has been broken by China’s J-20,” Song Zongping, a military expert, was quoted [4] as saying in official media.

Recommended:Stealth vs. North Korea’s Air Defenses: Who Wins?[5]

Recommended:America’s Battleships Went to War Against North Korea[6]

Recommended:5 Places World War III Could Start in 2018[7]

China has indeed long depicted the J-20 as a competitor to America’s fifth-generation jets, the F-22 and F-35. But a new report casts doubt on those claims. Specifically, the Hong Kong–based South China Morning Post (SCMP)reported that [8] “China rushed its first advanced stealth fighter jet into service ahead of schedule last year, using stopgap engines, in the face of rising security challenges in the region.” According to SCMP, that “means its capabilities will be severely limited, affecting its manoeuvrability and fuel efficiency as well as its stealthiness at supersonic speeds.”