The Real Reason the U.S. Air Force Hates China’s J-20 Fighter

The numbers problem when it comes to the J-20 Fighter: China has a significant advantage with its J-20 Mighty Dragon fighter.

The Middle Kingdom has more than 200 J-20 stealth warplanes in the fleet, which gives Xi Jinping and his generals peace of mind when it comes to battle planning for a contingency with Taiwan or the United States and its allies. The Mighty Dragon is a fifth-generation fighter with many attributes that make it tough to kill—whether it is dogfighting or maneuvering for a surface strike.

Image: Chinese Internet.

China may be making another 100 J-20s this year. The Chinese defense industrial base is healthy, and civilian workers are ready to make a difference by building more J-20s. Patriotism runs high, as the Chinese propaganda organs always aim to use the Mighty Dragon as a symbol of Chinese military might. 

J-20: This Is a Real Growth Story

There are more than 12 Air Force brigades equipped with J-20s in China. This is impressive growth, considering China had only around 40 Mighty Dragons as of 2022. At least 70 were delivered in 2023 by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group. The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is replacing older J-11s and Su-27s with Mighty Dragons. 

The Mighty Dragon entered service in 2017 and was in serial production by 2019. The Chinese hope to have 1,000 built by the 2030s, which would make them one of the world’s leaders in stealth fighter production.

The Money for This Fighter Is There 

The J-20 is not cheap. China may be spending as much as $110 million per unit. The modernized warbird is greatly needed, though, and the PLAAF aims to get as many J-20s as it can get for service to deter the United States and perhaps lead a sneak attack against Taiwan.

A Lot of F-35 Fighters 

China spent around $232 billion on its defense budget in 2024, and procurement for major end items such as the purchase of J-20s is a substantial part of this. China wants more fifth-generation fighters than the United States. The U.S. military has forged ahead with around 630 F-35 Lightning IIs in the arsenal. The Americans want to build 1,800 F-35s in the coming years. This is a $2 trillion program if you include all of the maintenance requirements, spare parts, and modernization efforts over the next several decades.

There are about 187 F-22 Raptors. The Americans stopped producing the F-22 in 2011. However, the United States spends ample funding to keep these stealth fighters in the air, and F-35s are expensive to procure as well.

Maj. Philip “Stonewall” Johnson, 514th Flight Test Squadron F-22 test pilot, sits in the last F-22 Raptor to complete the F-22 Structural Repair Program Nov. 24, 2020, prior to performing a functional check flight with the aircraft at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The 574th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron processed 135 F-22s through the program by performing structural modifications to increase total flying hour serviceability on each aircraft by 8,000 hours. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alex R. Lloyd)

While the J-20 may not be as fully stealthy as the F-22 or F-35, it is still thought to have high stealth attributes. However, this could be part of the propaganda effort to boast that the J-20 has the best radar-evading ability in the world. The Chinese are improving the way they manufacture the J-20’s stealth coating. 

The J-20’s Radar Is a Top Performer

The J-20 also has excellent sensors with the wide-band, Type 1475 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. This AESA can be compared to the F-22’s APG-77 system.

The Mighty Dragon Has Good Engines 

China believes its indigenously produced WS-15 engines may make the J-20 superior to the F-35 and F-22 power plants. The WS-15 can produce a thrust rating in the 150-kilonewton range. The Chinese had previously used the WS-10C engines, which were not as capable, and this limited the J-20’s speed, range, and ceiling. The WS-15 also has digital controls, which increases the level of performance. The Chinese also do not have to depend on foreign manufacturers and can rely on their domestic industry, creating more efficiencies and economies of scale. After all is said and done, the J-20 could be faster than the F-35.

The top speed is MACH 2, and the combat range is 1,100 nautical miles. The rate of climb is 59,000 feet per minute, and the service ceiling is 66,00 feet.

The J-20 can operate and fire its suite of weapons at beyond-visual range. The Mighty Dragon can carry  PL-15 medium-to-long-range air-to-air missiles. There is also the capability to launch PL-17 missiles that are very long-range and destroy targets 124 miles away. There are also short-range PL-10 air-to-air missiles. 

Chengdu J-20 displaying weapon bays, missiles and avionics during Airshow China 2018.

The Mighty Dragon is a symbol of national pride. More will be produced each month, and the airplane can fire beyond visual range missiles or use its short-range munitions during a dogfight. The high numbers by 2030 concern the United States and its allies. It seems that the Chinese can go toe-to-toe with F-22s and F-35s. It remains to be seen how stealthy the J-20 is. The PLAAF may be overestimating its radar-evading attributes and may not be fully stealthy like the F-22 and F-35. The Mighty Dragon’s strongest points are its engine, radar, and armaments. 

The J-20 is a tough customer, and Chengdu and the PLAAF’s ability to produce it in impressive numbers will keep U.S. battle planners and intelligence analysts busy figuring out how the Chinese will improve and modernize the warbird over the coming years.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.