China's military development not aimed at any country: defense official

[aimarraul]

China's military development not aimed at any country: defense official
English.news.cn 2011-01-11 22:54:25 FeedbackPrintRSS

BEIJING, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese military official said Tuesday that China's military hardware development is not aimed at any other country.

Guan Youfei, deputy director of Foreign Affairs Office of the Defense Ministry, made the remarks while responding to a question on the reported test flight of J-20 stealth fighter jet.

"The development of China's military hardware is not aimed at any other country or any specific target and the timing was a matter of routine working arrangements," said Guan.

Weaponry was developed to safeguard China's national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and to adapt to the world's military changes, as well as the constant development of new weapons, he said.

Guan denied the test flight was timed deliberately to coincide with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' China visit.

China would always take the path of peaceful development, and adhere to the national defense policy, which was defensive in nature, he said.

China would not seek hegemony, military expansion, an arms race, nor pose a threat to any country, Guan said.


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[aimarraul]

China confirms maiden flight of fifth-generation fighter
Chinese President Hu Jintao confirmed on Tuesday his country had carried out its first test-flight of a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet.

Hu confirmed the flight during talks with visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The prototype Black Silk J-20 stealth fighter made the flight at around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, according to information posted by Chinese aviation enthusiasts on websites.

The jet was tailed by two J-10 fighter chase planes during its 20-minute maiden flight.

The J-20 is thought to be similar to the U.S. F-22 Raptor and the Russo-Indian T-50 jets, although imagery and video footage now appearing on the Internet suggests the Chinese model is larger, the Aviation and Aerospace website said. This means it could be capable of flying a longer range and carrying a heavier load.

"The J-20 appears to be either a demonstrator or a prototype of a combat aircraft with low observable characteristics, particularly in the front quadrant," said Douglas Barrie, a senior fellow for military aerospace with the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

China has been working on a future fighter program since the mid-1990s, and the J-20 is notionally anticipated to enter service around 2018-2020, he added.

"The design, particularly the rear section and in plan-form is reminiscent of MiG's 1.42 fighter project, the program for which was cancelled in the latter half of the 1990s," Barrie said.

BEIJING, January 11 (RIA Novosti)