Fifteen years after its first flight, the Chinese J-20 ‘Mighty Dragon’ has certainly evolved significantly beyond its ‘response’ to the American ‘F-22.’ In fact, it is now ‘the key’ to a ‘comprehensive’ ‘modernization’ strategy that ‘integrates stealth, Chinese engines, and artificial intelligence into a network-centric warfare system.’ The ‘result’ of this effort is a ‘platform’ ‘capable of competing with adversary fighters’ not only ‘in the sky’ but ‘networking a variety of manned and unmanned systems’ ‘in contested airspace.
The launch of the J-20 in 2011 marked a departure for the country as it did not adhere to the usual pattern of adopting Russian design. The first designs incorporated Russian Saturn AL-31 engines; however, subsequent designs incorporated WS-10C engines, which are now being upgraded by the high-thrust WS-15 “Emei” engine. The adoption of the WS-15 engines has finally given the country success in engine development after decades of disappointment. It has the ability to supercruise, has better maneuverability, and has better payload capacity without sacrificing its observability.
But upgrades to the engines are not the only part of the upgrades that have been mentioned. Chinese analysts have talked about upgrades to the radar and infrared search and track systems, the addition of extended range air-to-air missiles with enhanced anti-jamming protection, and the adoption of silicon carbide semiconductor technology that would raise the range of the radar threefold.
These upgrades are intended to ensure the J-20 enjoys ‘first mover’s advantage’ when engaging targets in beyond visual range combat, where the difference between winning and losing is measured in ‘milliseconds’.
A trend for AI is now being seen in J-20 operations. Based on observations of U.S. tests such as Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, Chinese strategists are developing AI copilots that could be used for threat assessment, sensor management, and engagement. This could allow a single pilot to accomplish complex kill chains in a crowded battlespace and could be very effective when integrated with the two-man J-20S. The extra man in a two-man J-20S could be responsible for controlling UCAVs such as the stealth GJ-11 and electronic warfare support from J-16D planes.
The current operational philosophy is to incorporate the J-20 within a “system-of-systems” strategy. In a Taiwan scenario, for example, the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force will begin with missile strikes to weaken the radar and air defense system. Subsequently, the J-20s will combine with unmanned aircraft and warning aircraft to breach the system and dominate the skies with attacks on the command systems. All the steps involved in detection, jamming, striking, and commanding will be completed within a single cycle of operations.
Another point to consider is the production rate. Chengdu Aircraft Corporation is thought to be turning out 10 single-seaters J-20As a month, as well as two twin-seater J-20Ss, which is 120 a year. This is a far more rapid production rate than is currently being experienced within the West, and combined with the work being done to upgrade the existing stock, could see a number of hundreds on hand by the end of the next decade. This, combined with multi-role operations, could well challenge the long-held notion of quality being able to substitute for quantity within high-end air combat. Another area of development for the J-20 is its evolution into a multi-domain operational aircraft.
The J-20S has now developed precision strike operations against ships. This is part of a larger Chinese plan to secure its interests through its control of the first and second island chains. Simultaneous operations for stealth fighter aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems, and electronic warfare aircraft are now being concurrently practiced in real-world conditions and computer-simulation exercises. Artificial intelligence-based training networks are now being employed to combine both real-world and computer-simulation data. While the J-20 has not entered a real-world combat operation environment, its course is a deliberate transition from a platform competition to a network-savvy air warfare environment that is AI aware. By leveraging Chinese-developed innovations in combination with high-rate production, the Dragon is being poised not to compete directly with fifth-generation aircraft developed in the West, but rather to be the control node for a rapidly changing combat network.
