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Why the J-20 Mighty Dragon is a symbol of China’s military modernisation
Stealth fighter jet is seen as China’s answer to the American F-22
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Almost a decade has passed since the People’s Liberation Army pulled the trigger on President Xi Jinping’s plans for a massive overhaul of the world’s biggest military. In the second of a series on Chinese weapons systems, we look at the J-20 stealth fighter jet.
On a normal day over the East China Sea, three signals no bigger than tiny birds appear on a ground-based radar. They are an American F-35 stealth fighter jet, followed by two Chinese J-20s.
There is a radio exchange between the two sides, and in the blink of an eye the warplanes are gone from view.
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As tensions simmer in the region and China and the United States ramp up their military presence, these encounters – involving some of the world’s most advanced fighter jets like the Chinese J-20 – are becoming increasingly regular.
The Mighty Dragon
The Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter jet, also known as the Mighty Dragon, is a symbol of the Chinese military’s modernisation.
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It is seen as the People’s Liberation Army’s best hope against the most advanced stealth fighters of the US Air Force.
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