China's J-20 fighter completes 2nd test flight
July 1, 2013
By Chou Hui-ying and Y.L. Kao
Taipei (CNA): A second prototype of China's J-20, China's fifth-generation stealth fighter, has completed a second test flight, according to the People's Daily, China's most-circulated newspaper.
In addition to what was described as a low altitude flight test, the J-20 aircraft No. 2002 also conducted an in-flight fuel-dump test, the report said, without specifying when the tests took place.
Chinese military expert Song Xinzhi said in an interview with a Beijing television station that if the J-20 fighter becomes part of the China's armed forces, its combat radius will cover all of the Spratly Island archipelago in the South China Sea.
Talking about the J-20's role in protecting China's sovereignty claims over the South China Sea, Song said the J-20 fighter has a longer range than other heavy fighters because it has the space to be outfitted with large-volume tanks. The Su-27 and J-11 fighters have a range of about 3,600 kilometers, while the J-20 fighter has a range of more than 4,000 kilometers, Song said.
That would make the combat radius of the J-20 aircraft about 1,500-2,000 kilometers, meaning that if it took off from Hainan Island, it could cover the entire Spratly Island chain, Song said.
The development will only make China's neighbors more nervous about its extension of power into the South China Sea, which has recently stoked disputes with the Philippines and Vietnam. Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and China claim all or part of the South China Sea as their territory.
The J-20 is China's latest generation, stealth twin-engine fighter developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force. The first prototype made its maiden flight in January 2011, and the aircraft is expected to become fully operational between 2017 and 2019.