J-20 stealth fighter
J-20 stealth fighter in first live fire drill
since deployment
China shows the might of its fifth generation fighter jet
in a large drill that also involved other advanced warplanes
By ASIA TIMES STAFF JANUARY 11, 2018
3:45 PM (UTC+8)
China’s own fifth-generation air-superiority jet fighter
the J-20 last week strutted its stuff in its first live-fire war game held
since its March 2017 deployment, along with regiments of other warcraft
including H-6K Badger bombers, a “Chubby Girl” Y-20 airlifter, and J-16
fighters, among others that entered service in recent years, the PLA Daily has
reported.
The well-orchestrated exercise encompassed nearly all
major People’s Liberation Army airbases throughout the nation, with Y-20s
bracing the frigidity when taking off from airstrips on the Tibetan Plateau and
H-6Ks ascending through midnight smog in quick response to mock attacks.
Two J-20s take off from the Zhurihe base in a
recent large drill. Photo: Xinhua
State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) also
aired on Wednesday footage of J-20 superfighters engaging in beyond-visual
training, which also included mock combats against J-16s and J-10s.
Observers say what is significant is the report that
J-20s and J-16s got airborne at the same time from the PLA Air Force’s Zhurihe
base in northern China’s Inner Mongolia region and the indigenous fifth- and
fourth-generation fighters had a simulated dogfight.
“This means both the two new fighters are now in full,
operation-ready deployment and that the PLAAF is now able to hold combats
between the two to hone the skills of its pilots, as both fighters are the
cachets of their respective generations,” notes a commentary that appeared on
Sohu, a Chinese news portal.
A grab from a China Central Television’s
program on the air force drill that involved a number of J-20s. Photo: CCTV
One of the J-20 pilots, Chen Liu, whose grandfather Liu
Yuti was a PLA air marshal who shot down eight US and South Korean jets during
the Korean War, told CCTV that their task was like those of video-game testers
or “white hat” hackers to identify mechanical and software glitches that must
be fixed or debugged before the next mission or drill. They also compile
manuals and instructions for other PLA units as J-20 production is being
ratcheted up for wider deployment this year.
This coincides with rumors that large hangars have been
built at the Zhurihe airbase, believed to house J-20s stationed there.
A satellite image of the Zhurihe airbase. Red
arrows indicate the likely hangars for J-20s. Photo: Google Maps
Jim Smith, a British weapons expert, said on the UK-based
aviation forum Hush-Kit that the main edge of the J-20 over foreign
fifth-generation fighters was its ability to carry significantly more fuel,
coupled with the scope for use of a longer weapons bay. The overall outcome
could be a remarkable multi-role aircraft, with a particular strike role,
carrying area-denial weapons.
Original post: atimes.com
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