Wednesday, 26 Jan 2011 07:26 PM
The U.S. Defense Department is reserving judgment on the capabilities of China’s new J-20 fighter jet, spokesman Geoff Morrell said today.
Public reports are only speculation when they assert that the Chinese fighter has cutting-edge “fifth-generation” stealth technologies -- such as advanced sensors, avionics and communications gear -- like those used in Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-22 and F-35 jets, he said.
Photos of the Chinese aircraft have appeared on the Internet, and a test flight of the J-20 occurred Jan. 11, during Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s visit to Beijing.
“We don’t know what the capabilities of the engine are, we don’t know if it’s a ‘fifth-generation’ engine, we don’t know if indeed it is as ‘stealthy’ as they claim it to be,” Morrell said.
Morrell disputed press accounts, such as reports from China Daily, the U.K.’s Daily Mail or the Associated Press, saying the jet had a “successful test” or was “marking dramatic progress.”
“What we know is that a plane that looks different than any other they produced, that they claim to be their J-20, had a short test flight,” Morrell said.
Read more on Newsmax.com: Pentagon Still Learning China Stealth Jet Details, Morrell Says
