J-20: Comparing China’s Secretive Fighter Jet to the F-22 & F-35

All The Same – But Different

China’s J-20 Mighty Dragon was the star attraction at the 14th China International Airshow, marking the debut of their top combat aircraft on public display.

The 5th-generation fighter entered service in 2017 as an answer to America’s F-22 Raptor. But even though it was built to counter the F-22, the two planes actually share some similarities, leading to speculation that China might have stolen data from the United States.

When compared with the F-35, the J-20 is considered to be faster and offers longer ranges. Later J-20 models also can supercruise, allowing them to fly at high speeds without the use of afterburners.

Still, the Chinese fighter has inferior stealth compared to the F-35 Lightning II. Any huge differences between these stealth fighters would likely come down to less visible technology. In the end, any fight could come down to the individual skill of the pilots – or even luck!