China’s 300th J-20 Aircraft Rolls Out; Will PLAAF Surpass USAF To Operate World’s Largest Fleet Of Stealth Jets

By
Sakshi Tiwari
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The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) now operates 300 J-20 ‘Mighty Dragon’ fifth-generation stealth fighters—a spectacular feat that shows how Beijing is expanding its production lines and accelerating deliveries at a breakneck speed.

The milestone was disclosed when a J-20  fighter jet sporting the construction number ‘CB10300’ was spotted at the site of the upcoming Changchun Air Show in Jilin province, between September 12 and 14, 2025.

China military aviation researcher Andreas Rupprecht was among the first to post the image of the aircraft on social media. “It is assigned to the 19th Air Brigade and, even more important,  finally it is one where the construction number is visible: CB10300, aka from Batch 10 & the 300th J-20 in total!” he wrote on X.

The J-20 entered mass production in 2017, with production catching up only in 2022. The aircraft production has now accelerated to 100-120 aircraft per year, aided by new assembly lines at Chengdu Aircraft Corporation.

In contrast, Lockheed Martin produces nearly 150 F-35s annually, many of which are meant for international buyers.

Notably, the PLA watchers and analysts believe that this number is just the tip of the iceberg, and the total number of J-20s has likely surpassed 300.

Rick Joe, a popular PLA aviation analyst, wrote on X: “Important to note that ‘300th J-20 in total’ refers to this specific airframe being the 300th production J-20 airframe — not that there are a total of only 300 J-20 airframes at present (almost certain to be a bit more than 300 by now).”

Besides the J-20, China has also developed an upgraded variant of the aircraft called J-20A, and a two-seat variant called J-20S, which was recently unveiled at its Victory Day Parade.

The news was received with a mix of awe and disappointment in India, as several netizens and journalists subtly compared the Chinese capability with that of India. Sameer Joshi, a popular Indian journalist, quipped: “Quantity has now caught up with Quality.”

Indian analysts have repeatedly called out the growing stealth gap between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the PLAAF. While China now has more than 300 J-20s operational, the first Indian-origin fifth-generation stealth aircraft produced under the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program will enter service only by the mid-2030s. By this time, China’s J-20 fleet is expected to cross the 1,000 mark, and it would have likely inducted a sixth-generation fighter jet, whose prototype it is currently testing.

Making matters much worse for its adversaries, China is also producing the fifth-generation J-35A stealth fighter and its carrier-variant, called the J-35. This further expands the PLAAF’s fifth-generation fleet.

The United States has been keenly watching the expansion in China’s air power, with special emphasis on its J-20 fighter fleet.  A Pentagon report published in December last year projected that China would have 400 J-20 fighters in operation by the end of this year, making it the world’s biggest fleet of stealth jets.

With the threat of a conflict between the US and China looming large, the USAF leadership is worried about retaining air superiority over China at all costs.

The former chief of USAF, General Charles Brown Jr., said in 2021 that the PLA had “the largest aviation forces in the Pacific” and had created them “underneath our nose” during an Air Force Association conference in September last year. Brown warned that China would have surpassed the United States’ air superiority by the year 2035.

A Chinese-made Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter flies during the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, in southern China’s Guangdong province, on November 15, 2024. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)

These concerns have intensified in the last few years. In January 2025,  Brigadier General Doug Wickert, commander of the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, warned that China’s modern fighter jet fleet will outnumber US forces about 12 to 1 in key regions of the Western Pacific by 2027. Wickert also pointed out a five-to-three ratio in favor of China for fifth-generation aircraft.

With the deployment of the J-20 to all five theatre commands, China has signalled that it means business. The aircraft currently forms the backbone of the PLAAF and is routinely deployed near flashpoints in the Indo-Pacific for force projection by Beijing.

In fact, it has already had two encounters with the US Air Force’s F-35 Lightning II aircraft in 2025 so far, as explained in detail by the EurAsian Times.

The J-20 has been deployed to airfields in Tibet, close to the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC) border with India, on multiple occasions. Similarly, the J-20 has also flown above Taiwan, as admitted by a fighter pilot in January 2023. The Taiwanese air defenses could not detect the aircraft at the time. 

It has been deployed in the Eastern Theater Command for patrols over the Taiwan Strait and East China Sea as it enables “undetected” incursions. For instance, in July 2025, the J-20 flew over the strategic and heavily monitored Tsushima Strait near Japan and South Korea, and the Bashi Channel, a crucial choke-point located between the Philippines and Taiwan, as reported by the EurAsian Times.

The J-20 Rules The Sky

The J-20 stealth fighter jet has been described by experts as the star of the Changchun Air Show that kicks off on September 19, as per the state-owned Global Times. The J-20 will be on static ground display for the first time, which was described as the highlight of the show by Chinese military expert Fu Qianshao.

The J-20 features a blended fuselage with a chiseled nose, frameless canopy, and canard-delta wing configuration for enhanced lift, maneuverability, and instability that is aided by fly-by-wire systems.

J-20 Mighty Dragon

The aircraft features radar-absorbent materials, serrated engine nozzles, and diverterless supersonic inlets (DSI) that minimize radar cross-section (RCS) and enhance stealth. It supports supercruise and has infrared stealth via cooled exhaust.

The design prioritizes air superiority but includes multirole capabilities for ground strikes and electronic warfare. It represents a major leap in China’s aerospace capabilities, symbolizing its shift from reverse-engineering foreign designs to indigenous innovation in military aviation.

The J-20A, an upgraded J-20 variant, features a shorter canopy and a longer ‘nape’ touching the spine, with the additional space meant for additional fuel, avionics, and electronic warfare, as noted by The Aviationist. China is also reportedly working on upgrading the aircraft with WS-15 engines.

Image
J-20S twin-seater fifth-generation stealth aircraft debuted at China’s Victory Day Parade (Via X)

The recently unveiled two-seat J-20—the J-20S—is the real star. The aircraft is classified as a new-generation, medium-to-long-range, two-seat, heavy multirole stealth fighter jet developed that can conduct precision strikes on land and sea targets, as well as carry out medium- to long-range air superiority missions. The twin-seat configuration may allow the fighter to perform tasks where a second crew member manages sensors or communications, such as electronic warfare, aerial command and control (C2), or precision-guided weapons coordination.

The aircraft has an internal weapons bay for preserving stealth, which allows it to carry four PL-15 long-range missiles.

However, with the introduction of a new foldable wing PL-15E missile in November 2024, the aircraft can now carry at least six missiles within its concealed bay. The aircraft has external hard points for extra weapons. In fact, the J-20 flew beast mode in February this year, suggesting that the PLAAF’s potential tactical shift towards maximizing firepower at the expense of radar-evading capabilities.

China is consistently upgrading its aircraft to pose a stiff challenge to the American F-22 Raptors and the F-35 Lightning, and to keep its regional adversaries at bay.

A PLAAF fighter pilot said last year that the stealthy J-20 Mighty Dragon is receiving “constant” upgrades to achieve “expected combat objectives.” Speaking to Global Times, test pilot Li Gang said, “The J-20 is constantly improving, keeping pace with the times, and continuously perfecting its mission system to achieve its expected combat objectives.”

A similar assertion was made by the Pentagon’s 2023 annual China Military Power Report, which said that the PLAAF “is preparing upgrades for the J-20, which may include increasing the number of air-to-air missiles (AAM) the fighter can carry in its low-observable configuration, installing thrust-vectoring engine nozzles, and adding supercruise capability by installing higher-thrust Indigenous WS-15 engines.”

Against that backdrop, it is safe to conclude that China truly is merging both quality and quantity to create a robust, combat fleet.

 

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