New Chinese Fighter Brigade Deploys Stealth Fighters Across From Taiwan: Accelerated Deliveries Expand J-20 Fleet

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force has been confirmed to have deployed a new brigade of J-20 fifth generation fighter some time in 2023, namely under the 41st Aviation Brigade based at Wuyishan Air Base in Fujian province, with at least six of the aircraft having been received by the unit that year. The new unit represents the eleventh confirmed to have converted to the new fighter class, and the third to have converted in 2023 alongside the 97th Air Brigade at Dazu Air Base in Chongqing near the city of Chengdu, and the 4th Air Brigade at Foshan Air Base near Shenzhen. The unit at Wuyishan had previously deployed J-11 fourth generation fighters from 2008, when they had replaced older third generation J-7s. Much like the J-20, the J-11 was designed as a heavyweight twin engine air superiority fighter and thus represents a direct predecessor to the J-20 in the Chinese fleet. 

The location at Wuyishan is particularly sensitive due to its close proximity to the Taiwan Strait, where the Chinese Civil War remains technically ongoing as the Republic of China government based in Taipei continues to claim sovereignty over all of Chinese territory. The mainland’s development of fifth generation fighters has been a leading factor shifting the balance of power in its favour, with the Republic of China Air Force by contrast forced to rely heavily on the American F-16 for its air defence - a lightweight fourth generation fighter that first flew over 50 years ago. Efforts by Taipei to obtain fifth generation F-35s from the United States have consistently resulted in failure since the early 2000s for a range of reasons. Wuyishan is notably located just 200 kilometres from the Taiwan Strait, although the J-20’s very wide 2000 kilometre combat radius allows units deployed much further afield to contribute to combat operations in the event of conflict in the area. 

The J-20 was reported to have entered production on a much larger scale at the end of 2021, with deliveries having accelerated considerably the following year while significant enhancements have continued to be made to the airframe and avionics. The aircraft is one of just two of its generation both in production and fielded at squadron level strength alongside the American F-35, which is a single engine aircraft approximately one third lighter and better optimised for air to surface missions rather than air to air combat. J-20 deliveries are expected to reach close to 100 in 2024, and will reportedly increase to 120 aircraft in 2025 placing delivery rates at over 250 percent those at which F-35s are being delivered to the U.S. Air Force. Eight brigades were confirmed to have deployed J-20s by the end of 2022, and although only three units are confirmed to have converted in 2023 two more are strongly suspected. The J-20 can in many respects be considered the world’s premier air superiority fighter, with over twice the range of any Western fighter class other than the F-15, and with a significantly larger radar, while its avionics are considered broadly on par with those of the F-35 in sophistication.