ZHUHAI: As China's biggest air show formally opened on Tuesday, fighter jets and attack drones took center stage, giving Beijing a chance to demonstrate its expanding military power to both adversaries and prospective buyers.
As it competes with the United States and others near regional hotspots like Taiwan, China has invested much in modernizing and enhancing its aircraft capabilities.
The self-governing democratic island, which Beijing claims as its own, has seen record numbers of Chinese warplanes fly over it in recent years.
The new J-35A stealth fighter jet is the main attraction at Airshow China, which takes place every two years in the southern city of Zhuhai and highlights Beijing's civil and military aerospace industry.
According to experts, the fact that it was included in the airshow indicates that it is almost ready to go into service, making China the only nation outside of the US to have two stealth fighters in use.
The J-35A resembles a US F-35 in appearance and is lighter than China's current aircraft, the J20. On Tuesday morning, a group of J20s also flew in a diamond formation across the sky as part of a display flight.
According to military expert Wang Mingzhi, who was reported by state news agency Xinhua, the combination of the two models significantly improves the PLAAF's "ability to conduct offensive operations in high-threat and contested environments."
The J-35A resembles a US F-35 in appearance and is lighter than China's current aircraft, the J20. On Tuesday morning, a group of J20s also flew in a diamond formation across the sky as part of a display flight.
According to military expert Wang Mingzhi, who was reported by state news agency Xinhua, the combination of the two models significantly improves the PLAAF's "ability to conduct offensive operations in high-threat and contested environments."
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