China’s shows off stealth fighters missile payload

SHANGHAI (Reuters), NOVEMBER 12, 2018   - China has shown the missiles in its advanced J-20 stealth fighter jet to the public for the first time at its largest airshow, the Global Times newspaper reported on Monday.   

The newspaper said two J-20 fighter jets opened their missile bay doors during a flypast on Monday, revealing that each jet had four missiles in its fuselage and one on either side of the aircraft.   

Citing Chinese experts, the newspaper said the demonstration, which came on the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Air Force, displayed the J-20’s superiority to the top U.S. fighter jets, the F-22 and F-35, as well as the PLA’s growing confidence.   It also quoted military expert Song Zhongping as saying the four missiles in the J-20’s fuselage were long-range air-to-air missiles, while the two on the sides were short-range combat missiles meant for aerial combat.