Advanced fighter jets on display at Changchun Air Show

China

Advanced fighter jets on display at Changchun Air Show

2025-09-22 16:18 Last Updated At：19:27

The aviation open-day activities of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force at the ongoing 2025 Changchun Air Show have become a key platform to showcase the PLA Air Force's latest development achievements, with the hardware on display including the J-20S, the world's first type of two-seat fifth-generation fighter jet.

Defense expert Zhang Xuefeng said that the addition of a pilot will improve the stealth fighter jet's combat performance.

"J-20S is the world's first type of two-seat fifth-generation fighter jet. The addition of a cockpit enlarges its cross-sectional area, but the requirement of not weakening its stealth performance must be taken into account, including the stealth performance during supersonic flights. As compared with traditional fighter jets, it is more difficult to add a cockpit in the J-20S. Presently, many countries are developing unmanned wingman aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. So the second pilot onboard the J-20S can send instructions to the wingman aircraft and control them in carrying out combat missions," Zhang said.

The event is also showcasing the J-35A stealth fighter, which is equipped with a homegrown engine and a human-machine interaction design that helps it fully exert its combat effectiveness.

Zhang compared the characteristics of carrier-borne J-35 and J-35A designed for the Air Force.

"The carrier-borne J-35 has better take-off and landing abilities with larger wings, because it needs the assistance of catapults and has lower takeoff speed. In addition, there are differences regarding the driving systems. The J-35A designed for the Air Force is equipped with a control column which is on the right side of the pilot, while in a carrier-borne J-35, the control column is located in the center of the cockpit, which fits the situations of taking off from or landing on an aircraft carrier," Zhang said.

Featuring the display of over 100 types of active-duty Air Force aircraft, ground equipment and retired classic assets, as well as thrilling aerial performances, the five-day event began on Sept 19, offering free admission to the public.

Both J-20S and J-35A joined China's V-Day parade on Sept. 3.

Russia reports capturing 6 more settlements, Ukraine says it struck Russian oil refinery

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that its forces had seized six more settlements in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, while Ukraine claimed the same day that its forces had attacked a Russian oil refinery.

In its latest report, the ministry said that over the past 24 hours, Russian forces had taken control of four settlements in the Donetsk region and two in the Zaporizhzhia region. It added that Russian forces struck energy facilities serving Ukraine's military-industrial enterprises and that the country's air defense systems shot down 370 Ukrainian drones.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a report issued at 20:00 Sunday that over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian forces had carried out strikes on Russian targets, including assembly areas and command posts. It added that Ukrainian troops had repelled Russian offensives in the Slobozhansk, Kupyansk and Liman directions.

A total of 103 battles had taken place on the frontlines in six directions as of Sunday afternoon, according to the Ukrainian side.

The Ukrainian forces said they launched an attack on the Syzran oil refinery in Russia's Samara region early in the morning, sparking a fire.

In addition, the Ukrainian army struck other Russian targets, including a storage and maintenance facility for uncrewed boats, ferry crossings, and a site for UAV storage.