Reports: China's first stealth fighter revealed (Roundup)

Jan 5, 2011, 13:38 GMT

Tokyo - China has completed a prototype of its first known stealth aircraft, news reports said Wednesday, reinforcing the nation's military buildup ahead of a visit by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates.

China is to start test flights of the J-20 this month with an eye to the deployment of the fighter as early as 2017, Japan's Asahi newspaper reported, citing unnamed Chinese military sources.

The J-20, which is larger than the US Air Force's F-22 Raptor, would be equipped with large missiles and could fly as far as Guam with aerial refuelling, Asahi said. It would still take another 10 to 15 years to develop technology to catch up with that of the US F-22, the article said.

The J-20 was undergoing high-speed taxi tests late last week at Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute's airfield in southern China, the US-based defence industry publication Aviation Week reported. 'It is larger than most observers expected - pointing to a long range and heavy weapon loads,' it said.

The completion of the J-20 'has confirmed that the Chinese military is rapidly advancing the modernization of its air force while putting more effort into advancing to the open ocean,' Asahi said. 'The move could have an impact on the military balance in East Asia.'

The first photographs of the J-20 on the airstrip at Chengdu appeared on Chinese websites. Their origin was unknown, but Chinese military expert Song Xiaojun said he believed the photos were authentic.

'This is certainly true,' he told German Press Agency dpa in Beijing. 'It is only normal for China to develop such an aircraft.'

He waved off concerns about the fighter. 'The political meaning of this plane is larger than the military one,' Song said, saying it would earn respect for the Chinese people.

The reports of the plane came just days before Gates was due to arrive in Beijing for a visit that had been repeatedly delayed as US-Sino military ties deteriorated.

The reason for the problems stems from Beijing's anger over US weapons shipments to Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province. In protest, China froze military ties with the United States for a year.

Gates was also scheduled to visit Japan as Chinese President Hu Jintao prepares to visit Washington January 19.

Neighbouring countries are concerned about China's military buildup while it has been taking a hardline on territorial issues. To counter China strengthening its military might, Japan wants to expand military ties with South Korea.

Japan's Self Defence Forces aimed to purchase the US F-22, but the production of the fighter came to a halt, Asahi reported.

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