China Deploys J-20 Fighter Jets to Counter F-35 and F-22 Fighter Jets in South & East China Sea

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By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

China is making a specific point to deploy its J-20 5th-Generation stealth fighter in the South and East China Sea as a counter to the US F-35 and F-22, seeking to challenge US air dominance in the Pacific.

J-20, F-35 and F-22 

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force has recently conducted several patrol flight deployments of its J-20 with the intent to counterbalance the growing presence of F-35s in the region.

“It is certain that the J-20, as advanced new equipment, will appear on potential battlefields, including at sea, particularly when advanced warplanes of the US like the F-35 and the F-22 have been flying near China,” the Chinese government-backed Global Times newspaper reports, quoting a Chinese expert.

China’s push to extol the J-20 could, at least to some extent, seem to be a transparent effort to mask several glaring Chinese deficiencies when it comes to air power in the Pacific. 

China does not have an F-35B-like short take off and landing equivalent and is only now starting to produce its first 5th-generation stealthy carrier launched fighter. When it comes to the ability to project 5th-generation air power from the Sea, China is far behind the US in terms of both development and numbers.