China's J-20 Stealth Fighter With Its Air-To-Air Missile Has A Greater Range Over America's F-22 And F-35

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Mark Episkopos, National Interest: China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Has One Big Advantage Over America's F-22 And F-35

Range.

Key point: The American F-22 and F-35 fighters are now equipped with the latest AIM 120-D missiles, but a massive range deficit remains nonetheless.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force made waves at the 2018 Zhuhai Airshow with the latest showing of their flagship fifth-generation stealth fighter, the J-20.

As is common with airshow coverage, large swaths of the ensuing commentary focused on the J-20’s handling and maneuverability as it performed a series of rolls and a climb. But this elides what is perhaps the most significant aspect of the J-20’s Zhuhai showing: its weapons system.

During the performance, the J-20 opened its missile bay doors to reveal four PL-15 missiles accompanied by two PL-10 missiles on either side. The PL-15 is a long range air-to-air missile slated to enter service in 2018. Outfitted with an active electronically scanned radar and featuring a reported maximum range of up to 300 km, the PL-15’s impressive specifications place it in the ranks of the top air-to-air missiles along with the European Meteor missile and Russian K-37M.

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WNU Editor: There are still a lot of unknowns on what are the capabilities of the J-20. But what is known is that China is determined to have a fighter that can strike targets before those targets can counter-strike.