Chinese stealth fighter revealed

Photos have appeared online showcasing China’s newest military toy: a prototype of a stealth fighter. The plane, China’s first stealth fighter, may prove that China’s military aviation programs may be advancing quicker than expected.

The photos had already appeared on unofficial military websites last week, and today, both the English- and Chinese-language editions of the Chinese-state-run newspaper Global Times ran front-page articles that included the photos. No one has officially authenticated the photos, but considering the control the Chinese government exerts on the media there, experts believe the photos couldn’t be a mistake.

The timing of the photos may have also been intentional, falling just days before Secretary of Defense Robert GatesSecretary of Defense Robert Gates visits China. The visit by Gates comes one year after China froze military contracts with the United States to protest U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. The photos may be an attempt by China to show their own military hardware.

Some inside the United States believe the photos call into question a recent decision by Gates to cap production of the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter. Supporters of the F-22 believe that a Chinese stealth fighter could represent a direct threat to the U.S. aviation dominance.

The Chinese stealth fighter appears to be a J-20 at the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute's airfield in southwestern China. The plane looks bigger than comparable U.S. or Russian planes, which may allow it to fly farther or carry more weapons.

The U.S. Department of Defense, however, didn’t publically express worry. “It is not of concern that they are working on a fifth-generation fighter," Marine Col. Dave Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman, told the Associated Press. That’s because the Chinese are "still having difficulties with their fourth-generation fighter."

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