China is still testing its first stealth fighter, the J-20, but the warplane will soon enter service, the air force said, after pictures circulated in Chinese media suggesting it had already joined the active fleet.
China expects the J-20 to help narrow the military gap with the United States, and its confirmation of the aircraft's first test flight coincided with a visit to Beijing in 2011 by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Some analysts have said J-20 photographs suggest progress in developing a rival to Lockheed Martin's radar-evading F-22 Raptor may be faster than expected.