[HOME ] [ABOUT] [PHOTOS] [VIDEO] [BLOG] [HOUSTON] [TEXAS] [U.S. NEWS] [WORLD NEWS] [SPORTS] [POP CULTURE] [CONTACT]
US downplays Chinese-made stealth bomber on display
Leaked pictures of Chinese stealth fighter
by Joseph Ernest January 6, 2011
Newscast Media -- Photographs of what appears to be a Chinese stealth plane have raised concerns with the U.S. which is now downplaying the images of the aircraft invisible to radar.
The leaked images of what appears to be a prototype J-20 jet undergoing
runway tests, have been circulating on the internet since last week.
The
Chinese government run media ran articles on the photos, adding validity
to claims China's military might is far ahead than the U.S had previously
thought.
However, the U.S. Defense Department said it wasn't concerned about the reports.
"It is not of concern that they are working on a fifth-generation
fighter," Marine Col. Dave Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman, said, since the
Chinese are "still having difficulties with their fourth-generation
fighter."
Analysis of the J-20 photos shows it to be larger than either the
Russian or U.S. planes, likely allowing it fly farther and carry heavier
weapons. Beijing has not commented on whether the pictures - published
ahead of US Defence Secretary Robert Gates' visit later this week - are
genuine.
The Pentagon says China is still years away from deploying a stealth aircraft, and U.S. director of naval intelligence Vice Admiral David Dorsett said that it would be "years" before China's new fighter would be operational.
"Developing a stealth capability with a prototype and then integrating that into a combat environment is going to take some time," he said.
The leaked photos of the prototype aircraft first appeared on military websites and blogs. They were said to have been taken at the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute.
The images were then discussed in the Chinese state-run Global Times newspaper, in both its Chinese and English-language editions, although no comment was made on their authenticity. Add Comments>>
|
|
Join the Newscast Media social networks
for current events and multimedia content.
Copyright© Newscast Media. All Rights Reserved. Terms and Privacy Policy