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China AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China)
J-20
China's first operational stealth fighter, built by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group for long-range air superiority and strike missions against high-value airborne assets. Fields a long fuselage and canard-delta layout optimized for supersonic persistence over the Western Pacific.
In service since 2017 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-01
2,100
km/h
3,400
km range
20,000
m ceiling
11,000
kg payload
1
T/W
Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Chinese state channel
State export agencies (NORINCO/CATIC); limited availability to Western-aligned states.
Channel: State export agency
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2017. Status: active · ~250 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 2,100 km/h Stronger than 42% of fighters
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 2 Mach Stronger than 57% of fighters
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 3,400 km Stronger than 61% of fighters
- Combat radius
Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range.
- 2,000 km Top 1% of fighters
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 20,000 m Top 7% of fighters
- Thrust-to-weight
Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up.
- 1 Stronger than 59% of fighters
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Hardpoints
External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.
- 6 Bottom 5% of fighters
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 11,000 kg Top 6% of fighters
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Signature reduction
Radar cross-section shaping, RAM coatings, IR suppression. Actual RCS values are classified.
- Low observable airframe shaping with internal weapons bays; radar-absorbent materials
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 20.4 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 13.01 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 4.45 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 19,391 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 32,092 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 1
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 2x Shenyang WS-10C afterburning turbofans (WS-15 planned)
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 2
- Thrust
Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).
- 142 kN Stronger than 85% of fighters
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- Type 1475 (KLJ-5) AESA
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- EOTS-89 electro-optical targeting/IRST, distributed aperture system
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 250 Stronger than 55% of fighters
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 23% of fighters
Specifications compiled from public AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-01.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
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Dassault Aviation Rafale F4 Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 has a maximum speed of 2,100 km/h.
What is the range of the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 has a maximum range of 3,400 km.
What is the weapons payload of the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 can carry up to 11,000 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 weigh? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 has a combat weight of 32,092 kg.
How many crew does the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 require? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 requires a crew of 1.
What engine does the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 use? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 is powered by the 2x Shenyang WS-10C afterburning turbofans (WS-15 planned).
What is the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 used for? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 is a fighter aircraft typically used for air superiority, deep strike, multirole combat.
How many countries operate the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20 cost? +
AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) J-20: Unit cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
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