Chinese fighter jet very similar to US plane, suspicions fall on stolen US military plans
About half of China’s weapons systems went on display yesterday at an Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, including the J-20 stealth fighter jet, which closely resembles Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. This fact casts some light on Su Bin, a Chinese national convicted of spying against the United States.
Zhuai (AsiaNews) – The 20th edition of China’s largest air show began yesterday in Zhuai (Guangdong) with about half of its weapons systems on display for the first time for the benefit of buyers, sellers and others.
One of the highlights of the show is China’s next generation J-20 fighter jet, the first public showing of the warplane.
According to the Shanghaiist blog, the J-20 jet fighter is thought to be based on blueprints for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
Last July, 51-year-old Chinese national Su Bin was convicted in the US for hacking US defence contractors to steal trade secrets on Beijing's behalf.
Bin admitted to conspiring with People's Liberation Army officers to acquire plans for the F-35, the most expensive in US history.
Beijing has denied the hacking allegations. Still, it hopes that the new jet will narrow the military gap with Washington.
A two-minute demonstration by two J-20 stealth fighter jets took place, but spectators were not able to see them from the ground.
“Two minutes is too short, but I understand the J-20 should remain a mystery because it’s not ready for mass production for service in our air force,” a delegate from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force said.
Another official in the People’s Liberation Air Force staff department, who would not give their name, said: “It is because the J-20 contains many of China’s top technologies in stealth aircraft plus other military secrets. The secrets include the J-20’s body shape, the proportion of its wing and body and other secrets as aircraft experts can easily calculate its stealth parameters from its exterior.”
Some of China’s most advanced radar technology – the SLC-7 mobile surveillance radar system – will also be on display at the show when it fully opens to the public on Friday.SLC-7 radar equipment on display. Its developers claim it can detect targets within 300 km to 400 km.
“The SLC-7 is the export model. We are going to target potential clients such as Pakistan, Egypt, Iran and some Middle East countries that see the US Air Force as their enemy. Of course, the same model used by the PLA Air Force is much more advanced than the SLC-7,” the official said.
Experts with the China Electronic Technology Group Corporation radar system refused to confirm whether the advanced SLC-7 system had been deployed on Yongxing Island in a disputed area of the South China Sea.
According to the Stockholm International Research Institute for Peace report (SIPRI), Chinese arms sales have grown considerably in the past five years, reaching second place in the world. With a 25 per cent drop in imports and an 88 per cent increase in exports, China can regain its autonomy and achieve competitiveness.
Although the Chinese military spending is up sharply, US$ 215 billion in 2015, it stills lags behind the United States, which are respectively 13 and 36 per cent of the total.
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