Have you ever seen the shocking image of 16 J-20 stealth fighters appearing together? Now, the five air force theaters of the People's Liberation Army have started to mass deploy, ready to face any challenge at any time?

01: 16 J-20s in a historic formation

16 J-20 fighter jets are neatly arranged on the airport runway

Since its debut, the J-20 has become a revolutionary weapon that has changed the combat model of the People's Liberation Army Air Force. Naturally, it has become one of the most numerous main types of aircraft in the history of our military equipment. Military enthusiasts are always paying attention to the dynamics and changes of new aircraft, mainly focusing on two aspects: the number of equipment and the details of improvements.

The Zhuhai Air Show is the main window for the J-20 to be displayed to the outside world. From one to two planes in formation, then to four planes in formation, it still feels unsatisfying.

Compared with the Zhuhai Air Show, the real large-scale appearance of the J-20 was on the grand parade ground. In the aerial formation during the 90th anniversary of the founding of the army in 2017, the J-20 made its first appearance. Three J-20 fighter jets led the fighter formation as they majestically flew over the parade ground. By the time of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party, a large aerial formation of 15 J-20s presented the global audience with the fact that the Chinese Air Force's tactical aviation forces had entered the world's top tier.

A J-20 fighter jet from an air force aviation regiment,

This unit is a heroic and strong force that has been fully equipped with J-20s.

This time, foreign satellite images have taken the first pictures of 16 J-20s lined up in a row. This is the airport of an air force aviation regiment. Just by looking at the satellite image, one can imagine how impressive the scene must be.

After the military reform, the organizational system of the People's Liberation Army Air Force's tactical aviation forces was adjusted from a four-level system of division-regiment-battalion-company to a three-level system of aviation regiment-flight battalion-flight company. 16 J-20s are almost equivalent to two full flight battalions. The outside world has been analyzing the number of J-20s currently in service through various channels.

02: How many J-20s are there in service?

The newly painted J-20A fighter jet, with the ETOS electro-optical detection equipment visible below the nose

With the exposure of the rehearsal for the parade, there are three types of J-20s currently in service in the People's Liberation Army. First is the basic type J-20, which has the largest number of units. This model uses the original AL-31 engine and the domestically produced WS-10B engine. According to the order of the air force test base - air force flight training base - air force aviation regiment, they are being upgraded in sequence.

Second is the J-20A version with a "big neck", which some analysts suggest has been upgraded with the latest version of the WS-10C engine, increasing thrust and modifying the rear part of the cockpit.

Finally, the dual-seat J-20S, which is recognized as the command aircraft for unmanned fighter jet escorts. From the tactical numbers on the reconnaissance aircraft, these three models of J-20 have already been widely deployed in the troops.

The J-20S fighter jet painted with the air force tactical number, indicating that this is my current equipment

Several years ago, it was reported that the production line of the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation for the J-20 had increased to four lines, and the production of the J-10C fighter jet had been transferred to Guizhou Aircraft Company, and the production of the J-20 fighter jet was being carried out at full speed. The production speed has experienced a slow start, a climbing phase, and a high-speed production stage. It is estimated that the production speed of the J-20 has approached 100 per year, without comparison, there is no injury.

Last year, the U.S. military only replaced about 45 F-35 series fighter jets, and they also had to be distributed among the Navy, Air Force, and Marines, averaging only about 10 per branch.

Recently, the outside world predicted that the J-20 has been put into service by 14 air force regiments of the People's Liberation Army, meaning that each of the five air force theaters now has at least 2-3 J-20 regiments. It has also been concluded that the current number of J-20s in service by the People's Liberation Army is between 350 and 400.

It can be seen from the picture that there are differences in the details of multiple J-20 fighter jets

In the future, the J-20B equipped with the WS-15 engine will become the main model of the Air Force, and the scale of the J-20 series will climb to a new level. However, have Western media overlooked something?

03: Stealth Fighter Production Capacity Reaches New Heights

Firstly, the second stealth fighter of the People's Liberation Army has begun to produce in large quantities. That is the long-awaited J-35 fighter jet. During the parade rehearsal, two J-35 fighter jets performed a stealth fighter aerial show together.

Firstly, the J-35A, which has been put into service with the air force aviation units, has clear production batch numbers and tactical numbers on its body. It comes from a key air force aviation regiment. The replacement speed of the People's Liberation Army has greatly exceeded the predictions of Western countries. This air force aviation regiment previously replaced the J-20 fighter jet and then received the J-35A fighter jet, becoming the first mixed squadron of stealth fighter jets in the air force.

Then there is the J-35 naval version, which is mainly put into service with the naval carrier-based fighter squadrons, becoming the main carrier-based fighter for the Fujian aircraft carrier and future domestic aircraft carriers. The basic composition of the Chinese navy's carrier-based aircraft has already appeared, consisting of the J-35 and J-15T carrying out combat missions, while the KJ-600 early warning aircraft takes on the early warning mission, placing it at the forefront of the global top tier.

Tactical numbers and production batch numbers are the main ways for the outside world to gain insight into the scale of the current fighter jets of the People's Liberation Army. Now, the 00 batch J-35 has gradually entered service, and the 01 batch J-35 fighter jets have also begun to appear. After 2-3 years of production climbing, they will reach a production and delivery speed of dozens to hundreds of units.

Westerners are always trapped in the thinking trap of "strong nations must dominate," believing that China is expanding its military equipment at a speed that exceeds normal demand, and are quick to label China with the hat of military competition.

They don't realize that China is under intense military pressure from the U.S. alliance group, forcing the Chinese military to be fully prepared for any possible confrontation. Preparing for war is the only way to achieve peace, which is a valuable experience left to us by history. What do you think of this article? Please feel free to exchange and interact in the comments section.

Some information in this article comes from China News Network: 【】

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7535772910959591999/

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