Published : 2025-01-11

At noon on January 11, 2011, China's J-20 fighter jet (殲-20) conducted its first test flight and successfully landed.

The entire flight process lasted about 18 minutes and was successfully completed with the accompaniment of the J-10S fighter-trainer aircraft.

Since the first flight coincided with the visit of U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to China, there was speculation at the time that China was demonstrating its power to the United States.

However, on the evening of the first flight, Guan Youfei (關友飛), Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Ministry of National Defense of China, immediately stated that the decision to conduct the test flight was a normal arrangement and was not directed at any country or event.

The J-20 is China's independently developed fifth-generation fighter jet, which boasts excellent stealth capabilities, long-range strike capabilities, informatised combat capabilities, and aerial refuelling capabilities.

In actual combat, the J-20 is capable of taking off and landing in plateau regions and can achieve full-range warfare. The J-20 later cooperated with the Naval Air Force to become an important equipment for joint operations.

Bradley Perrett, Asia-Pacific Editor of Aviation Week, commented that the J-20 fighter jet "clearly marks a significant step forward in China's combat capabilities."

The chief designer of the J-20, Yang Wei (楊偉), described the J-20 as a symbol of the achievements of China's aviation industry over 40 years of Reform and Opening-up.