New J-20 Stealth Fighter Brigade in China’s Far South Confirmed

New images have confirmed that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force 131st Air Brigade has transitioned to operate the J-20 fifth generation fighter, with the new aircraft being based at Luliang Air Base, Yunnan Province under the Southern Theatre Command. The J-20 was first reported to have been re-equipping this unit in early 2024, with an indication at the time an image image of an unknown J-20 pilot wearing what appeared to be a symbol of the air brigade. The facility represents one of the furthest south to have ever hosted the fighter class, and could facilitate air defence duties by the aircraft over Longpo Air Base on Hainan Island, which houses the backbone of the Navy’s strategic nuclear arsenal. The J-20’s much longer range and far larger sensor suite than the much lighter J-10C ‘4+ generation’ fighters previously deployed under the 131st will allow the brigade to contribute to air defence across much of the contested South China Sea, and with a single round of aerial refuelling to also operate for extended periods in the Taiwan Strait.

J-20 procurements by the Air Force increased significantly from 2021, and again from 2024, although confirmation regarding which units receive the aircraft has often occurred only long after the first deliveries. Reports indicate that the 131st Air Brigade will operate the J-20 alongside the J-10C, with the two having highly complementary capabilities as part of a high-low combination, much a was done in the 2nd Air Brigade near Beijing that was confirmed in June to have also begun receiving J-20s. The J-20 is currently being procured by China’s air force on a scale over twice as large as any other fifth generation fighter class is being acquired by any other service worldwide, with the aircraft’s numbers supplemented by production of the lighter new J-35 in both ground and carrier based variants for the Air Force and Navy. The Air Force is expected to recieve 120 J-20s in 2025 and 2026, compared to the U.S. Air Force’s receipt of just 24-48 F-35A fighters.

The J-20 is expected to soon begin entering service with the WS-15 next generation engine, which was first seen integrated onto the fighter in single configuration for a test flight in January 2022, and was subsequently first flown in twin configuration in June 2023. This will make it a leading contender for the title of the fighter with the world’s top flight performance, with the engine allowing for supercruise at high speeds, possibly at over Mach 2, while ensuring the J-20 has more thrust than any other fighter in the world. Their much greater power generation capacity will also allow the J-20 to use a much more powerful avionics suite and could potentially power directed energy weapons in future. The United States Air Force’ recent cancellation of plans to develop an enhanced engine for its rival fighter the F-35 under the Adaptive Versatile Engine Technology program, and cancellation of the promising F136 engine, have meanwhile ensured that no comparable enhancements to this aircraft will be made. China and the United States are currently considered to be in close competition to field the world’s first sixth generation fighters to succeed the J-20 and F-35 in equipping their most elite tactical combat units.