Why China’s Stealthiest Fighter Was Spotted At An American Marine Base

If you look it up online, you’ll see thousands of photos of the Chinese Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon, which is the third operational fifth-generation fighter in the world after the American F-22 and F-35 jets.

The Chinese plane caused a stir online when it was spotted in a Georgia airport, and was spotted again in 2018 at a United States Marine Corps base in North Carolina. 

Hiding in Plain Sight

In early December 2018, an anonymous source sent an aviation blog a photo of them allegedly in a parking area in an airport in Georgia, USA. 

Online analysts looked for the most minute detail of the photo proving its veracity, and it was no doubt the fearsome Chinese Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon.

However, upon closer look, a subject expert interviewed for an online publication debunked any doubts. In his opinion, “It quickly becomes apparent that this is just a model- the whole proportions don’t fit.”

It soon became became clear that it was not the real J-20, but an American-made mock-up. 

Training Stage

This photo caused worldwide speculation on what the plane was doing in the US and whether it was used for fighter training. 

The US Air Force soon confirmed that the model wasn’t built for the branch but served as a training tool for the Marines. 

The full-scale replica of the model stayed in the Air Dominance Center in Savannah for a time and was soon transferred to the actual training area in North Carolina. 

Bogue Field’s Secrets

Indeed, a year later in North Carolina, satellite imagery of the Marine Corps Auxillary Landing Field Bogue airfield from March 12, 2019, showed the J-20 replica. 

The J-20 formally entered service in March 2017, making China the second country in the world to field an operational stealth aircraft. However, up to this day, the plane remains elusive shrouded in secrecy about its actual deployment.