As China's domestically developed J-20 stealth fighter jet approaches the 15th anniversary of its maiden flight this Sunday, its pilots are persistently honing their skills to advance the aircraft's combat capabilities to prevail in future air battles.
The J-20 made its maiden flight in 2011 and was first shown to the public at the 11th Airshow China in Zhuhai in 2016. As China's first domestically developed fifth-generation stealth fighter, the J-20 has advanced a series of key core technologies, including high stealth, high performance, and high maneuverability.
Meanwhile, the J-20 is equipped with China's most advanced air-to-air missiles and mission management systems, significantly enhancing its strike success rate. It is also capable of forming integrated combat power with other aviation platforms, such as unmanned aerial vehicles and aiborne early warning aircraft, enabling a transformation from single-aircraft operations to true system-of-systems warfare.
In recent days, multiple J-20 stealth fighter jets have conducted drill operations at a People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) airbase. According to one of the aircraft's pilots, they are continuously advancing the jet's combat capabilities, aiming to turn plateform superiority into effective battlefield advantage.
"Every confrontation we design seeks to 'front-load' the uncertainties of future battlefields into the training process. Before each training mission, we utilize a virtual-real simulation training system to input tactical scenarios and complex electromagnetic interference conditions. This enables pilots to confront a highly unpredictable 'battlefield' even prior to takeoff, thereby sharpening their combat-winning capabilities under unfamiliar and challenging operational circumstances," said Wang Xiaobao, a PLAA soldier.
During the exercise, the pilots keenly detected subtle changes in the missile engagement range displayed on the cockpit screen. Through collaborative efforts with the joint research team, alongside repeated tests and verified operations, the missile's effective engagement range was successfully extended. In subsequent confrontations, the pilots applied the newly developed tactics and achieved outstanding performance.
"The J-20 is a sharp sword in our hands. Yet possessing the sword alone is not enough; it must be wielded with superior swordsmanship. By developing new combat methods and innovating our training approaches, our fundamental purpose is to forge an elite air force capable of responding to any complex situations at any moment and prevailing in future air battles," said Fu Xing, another PLAA soldier.
15 years after maiden flight, J-20 pilots continue to advance combat capabilities
