Chengdu J-20 'Black Eagle'

China confirmed its first test flight of a stealth fighter jet on January 11, and though its J-20 is still several years from deployment, it has raised the stakes in a field dominated by the United States, the only operator of radar-evading planes.

The "fifth-generation" design generally entails not only stealth but also advanced radar and other sensors, avionics and powerful engines, something China appears to continue to struggle with in terms of indigenous design and manufacture.

China’s new stealth fighter likely was designed “to counter” the U.S. F-22 and F-35 jets, according to U.S. Navy intelligence analysts.

“The Chinese know the importance of developing an indigenous commercial and military aircraft design industry,” said the statement yesterday from the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance. The office includes Navy intelligence.
“They have indicated their intent to design a new generation of technologies/subsystems (such as radar, engines and weapons),” said the statement. “The employment of this fighter in numbers will be both a qualitative and quantitative improvement” in Chinese Air Force capabilities, the statement said.
“The recently photographed J-20 prototype appears to be this aircraft,” it said. Still, “given its developmental status, we don’t expect it to be operationally fielded for some time,” said the statement.