Free Republic

China’s J-20A “Mighty Dragon” represents a significant leap in the country’s military aviation, a fifth-generation stealth fighter designed to challenge Western air dominance. On paper, it boasts an impressive suite of features, including a low radar cross-section, advanced avionics, and a versatile weapons payload. However, significant questions remain about its real-world combat effectiveness.

New pictures of the China's J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter have surfaced and are making their way across military blogs. This newest round of photos show the J-20 in the skies somewhere over mainland China. The prototype is said to be using the Saturn AL-31 turbofan engine developed by the Russian's for their Su-27 air superiority fighter. Reuben Johnson at The Washington Times reports the Chinese may be as much as 10 years away from producing an original stealth engine to slip into the J-20. In the meantime, they'll have to take comfort in the fact that while the F-22...