China’s largest air show kicks off with fighter jets and attack drones

ZHUHAI, China – Stealth fighter jets and attack drones took center stage as China’s largest air show officially opened on Nov. 12, a chance for Beijing to showcase its growing military might to potential customers and rivals alike.

China has poured resources into modernizing and expanding its aviation capabilities as it battles the United States and others around regional flashpoints such as Taiwan.

Record numbers of Chinese fighter planes have been sent around the self-ruled democratic island, which Beijing claims as its territory, in recent years.

The star of Airshow China, which showcases Beijing’s civil and military aerospace sectors every two years in the southern city of Zhuhai, is the new J-35A stealth fighter jet.

Its inclusion in the air show suggests it is close to being ready to become operational, which would make China the only country outside the United States to have two stealth fighters in action, experts said.

The J-35A is lighter than the existing Chinese model, the J20, and is more similar in design to an American F-35.

A group of J20s performed a demonstration flight on the morning of November 12, flying in a diamond formation through a gray sky.

State news agency

The air show will feature a dedicated drone zone for the first time, reflecting their increased prominence in war zones including Ukraine.

The SS-UAV – a massive mothership that can quickly unleash swarms of smaller drones for intelligence gathering and attacks – will be on display in Zhuhai, according to the South China Morning Post.

In October, the United States unveiled sanctions on China-based companies linked to the production of drones deployed by Russia in Ukraine.

Moscow and Beijing have deepened military and defense ties since Russia’s invasion of its neighbor three years ago, and Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu will visit Zhuhai.

The focus of the 2024 show will be squarely on the military sector as it coincides with the 75th anniversary of the PLAAF, but China’s fast-growing space industry will also showcase developments.

A model of a homegrown reusable space cargo shuttle will debut at the show, Xinhua reported on November 11.

The shuttle, called Haoloong, is designed to be launched on a commercial rocket and then dock with China’s Tiangong space station.

“It can re-enter the atmosphere, fly horizontally and land at a designated airport, allowing recovery and reuse,” Xinhua said.

Beijing has poured huge sums into its space program over the past decade in an effort to catch up with the traditional space powers, the United States and Russia. AFP