First flight of China's super-secret J-20 stealth fighter

Until recently, no one was even sure if China's answer to America's F-22 Raptor actually existed. A few grainy photos have been circulating around the web for some time, but some speculated that they may be a hoax, or a deliberate disinformation mock-up by the Chinese. That is put to rest now, as this video shows the first test flight of the Chinese J-20 stealth fighter, along with an escort plane. Reports state that the flight lasted eighteen minutes.



You can plainly see that the J-20 is larger than the F-22, which means it will likely have a greater weapons payload and/or greater range being able to carry more fuel. The engines are also obviously larger, which means that the J-20 likely has a greater thrust-to-weight ratio than the F-22. Excellent placement of vertical stabilizers and canards will increase low-speed maneuverability and control at high angles of attack. The J-20 looks poised to dominate the F-22 in a dogfight if is also utilizes pitched-thrust vectoring, which is likely. The canards also have a negative impact as well however, which will degrade the J-20's range, super-cruise ability, and top speed.