Photos of China’s J-20A stealth fighter spark speculation about military parade debut

Photographer claims Chinese fifth-generation jet, known as the Mighty Dragon, is rehearsing for September WWII anniversary event

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In recent weeks, advanced aircraft have been spotted flying in formation across China, including several identified as J-20A jets, seen here in a photo that surfaced on Friday. Photo: Weibo

Published: 7:38pm, 4 Jul 2025

New images of China’s J-20A stealth fighter have begun circulating on Chinese social media, with the photographer claiming the jet, also known as the Mighty Dragon, is rehearsing for a September military parade debut.

The photos of the J-20A were shared on Wednesday alongside photos of the J-35, another fifth-generation Chinese stealth fighter. In recent weeks, advanced aircraft have repeatedly been seen flying in formation across the country, including several identified as J-20A jets, according to social media posts.

China will hold a grand military parade on September 3 in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of its victory in World War II. It is expected to unveil new weapons at the event, including aircraft not seen in public before.

An earlier sighting of the fighter, reported by The War Zone last September, showed the clearest image yet of a J-20A prototype bearing serial number 2052 in characteristic yellow primer paint on a Chengdu Aircraft Corporation runway in southwest China.

According to the defence news site, this confirmed earlier speculation that the jet had undergone its most significant upgrades yet, with the installation of domestically developed WS-15 turbofan engines.

The images shared this week show the fighter using modified diverterless supersonic inlets (DSI) – a type of jet engine air intake – with smaller compression bumps than earlier versions, optimised for the advanced airflow characteristics of the WS-15 engines. These smaller bumps are expected to improve both stealth and aerodynamic performance while supporting the engine’s higher pressure ratios and greater mass flow demands.

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