AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 vs Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen
Full specs: AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen
AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 and Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen are both fighter aircraft, compared here on public specifications. The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 leads on weapons payload (11,000 vs 5,300 kg). Several China-origin figures here are manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification, so treat this comparison as directional.
Compare systems side by side
Search above to add up to five systems. You’ll get a per-spec winner, relative bars, a normalized spec profile and an honest verdict, every number from public sources.
Building a fleet? Try the Force Builder →
Full data
Full spec sheet
| Performance | ||
| Max speed (km/h) | 2,100 km/h | 2,124 km/h ✓ |
| Max speed (Mach) (Mach) | 2 Mach | 2 Mach |
| Range (km) | 3,400 km | 4,000 km ✓ |
| Combat radius (km) | 2,000 km ✓ | 1,500 km |
| Service ceiling (m) | 20,000 m ✓ | 16,000 m |
| Thrust-to-weight | 1 | 1.05 ✓ |
| Firepower | ||
| Hardpoints | 6 | 10 ✓ |
| Weapons payload (kg) | 11,000 kg ✓ | 5,300 kg |
| Physical | ||
| Length (m) | 20.4 m | 15.2 m |
| Empty weight (kg) | 19,391 kg | 8,000 kg |
| Combat weight (kg) | 32,092 kg | 16,500 kg |
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
| Propulsion | ||
| Thrust (kN) | 142 kN ✓ | 98 kN |
| Program | ||
| Unit cost (USD) | N/A | $85,000,000 |
| Units built | 250 ✓ | 60 |
| Operator countries | 1 | 3 ✓ |
Frequently asked questions
Which is faster, AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 and Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen? +
The Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen is the fastest of the 2 compared here, at 2,124 km/h.
Which has the longer range? +
The Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen has the longest range at 4,000 km.
Which carries the larger weapons payload? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 carries the largest weapons payload at 11,000 kg.
Which is cheaper? +
The Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen has the lower public unit-cost figure at 85,000,000 USD. Treat this as directional, defense pricing varies by contract and configuration.
Which has the higher max speed (mach)? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 has the higher max speed (mach) at 2 Mach.
Which has the higher combat radius? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 has the higher combat radius at 2,000 km.
Is the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 better than the Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen? +
On the public specs we track, the Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen leads on 3 of 6 headline metrics, see the full spec sheet for the metric-by-metric breakdown.
Where does this comparison data come from? +
Every figure in the table is sourced from public manufacturer pages, defense-ministry releases and reference publications, and is verifiable on each system's spec page. WeaponSpecs does not accept vendor placement.
Keep exploring
