Washington: The next generation stealth fighter under development by the Chinese military could rival America's best fighters in terms of speed, stealth and lethality, according to a report.
An analysis conducted by the Jamestown Foundation, the conservative Washington DC based defense policy think tank, shows that China’s J-20 will be a high performance stealth aircraft, arguably capable of competing in most cardinal performance parameters with the United States F-22A Raptor.
It will be superior in most if not all cardinal performance parameters against the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, according to the analysis.
The written by defense analyst Carlo Kopp, was published last week just days after America's entire fleet of F-22s was grounded due to oxygen system concerns and a new video surfaced online, purportedly showing a rare test flight by a prototype J-20, ABC News reports.
The report noted the Chinese planes would not have the range to make unsupported strikes against the continental US, but US military bases and allies in the region are well within the potential target zone, including air bases that have been home to the F-22 fighters.
The report also says that due to its larger size, the J-20 could potentially carry more or bigger payloads than the F-22.
Though the Defense Department declined to comment on the report, a Pentagon spokesperson said that the US has been carefully monitoring China's comprehensive and sustained military modernization and its implications for the region. (ANI)
First Published: Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 13:50