China’s 5th-Gen,Stealth 2-Seat J-20S Variant Adds Naval Aviator

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force seems to have stepped forward publicly with a new variant of its J-20, which has long been on the radar as a possibility. 

In essence, this means the J-20 will soon be able to fly with a “naval aviator” in position to support pilot decision-making, identify targets, track threats, and potentially even direct strikes.  

This possibility, demonstrated for years by the US Navy with its high-speed Tomcat, appears to present significant value-added in several respects. 

At the same time, it also seems to raise questions, to a degree, about the effectiveness of PLA Air Force AI, targeting and F-35-like “sensor-fusion” ability. 

With all of that said, what should we make of this new J-20S? What sort of future will it have in the skies, and is it a threat to the U.S. military and its allies? 

J-20 fighter. Image Credit: Chinese military.