[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] China Unveils Next-Generation Fighter Jet in Front of Russia

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] North Korea, which had fiercely criticized the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, responded to the joint military drills between China and Russia with a stance of "joint protection of regional safety and stability." This joint exercise, to which North Korea showed a friendly attitude, was the first joint military exercise hosted by China since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). What draws attention is the large-scale deployment of the latest weapons.

According to foreign media reports on the 14th, the official name of the China-Russia joint military exercise is "West Joint-2021 Exercise." It was conducted from the 9th to the 13th at the Qingtongxia joint tactical training base in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

In this exercise, China included tests of innovative combat tactics such as emergency troop deployment, heavy weapon drops, long-range attacks by J-16 fighter-bombers, and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). Innovative combat tactics refer to new battle strategies like simultaneous multiple drone attacks.

Among the forces deployed in this exercise, notable air force assets include the J (Jian)-20 stealth fighter and the KJ-500 early warning aircraft. China is known to possess about 1,500 fighter jets. The next-generation fighters are considered to be the J-20 and J-31.

China first revealed the test flight of the J-20 in January 2011. That day coincided with a meeting between former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chinese President Hu Jintao. Two years later, photos of the J-20 equipped with missiles were circulated on the internet, leading foreign media to speculate that armed operation had been completed.

The J-31 is also regarded as a fifth-generation stealth fighter. It first appeared in 2012, shocking the United States. The U.S. had initially expected that the development of Chinese stealth fighters would only begin in earnest around 2020. The J-31's design closely resembles the F-35 being developed by the U.S., which further heightened American concerns.

Additionally, China has conducted emergency ejection training for pilots of the J-15, the aircraft designated as the carrier-based fighter for its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. This has led to speculation that the operational deployment of this fighter is nearing completion. China claims that the J-15 is comparable to the U.S. F-18 Hornet in terms of bomb load capacity, combat radius, and maneuverability.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.