A Chinese military "expert" in an effort to deride the capabilities of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor indirectly admitted the other U.S. stealth fighter -- the Northrop Grumman F-35 Joint Strike Fighter -- is superior to China's Chengdu J-20 low observable fighter.

The F-22 is the first fifth generation fighter (a class commonly described as stealth fighters) to see active service in any air force in the world. The F-22, which is a stealth air superiority fighter, entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 2005. The USAF admits to having 187 of these stealth fighters in its inventory.

Like Us on Facebook

Chinese "expert" Li Li, however, disagrees with the designation of the F-22 as a fifth generation stealth fighter. Instead, she claims the F-22 is a fourth generation fighter at par with China's J-20, which she said is a fifth generation fighter.

But in so doing, the "expert" indirectly admitted the F-35's superiority to the J-20 since she claims the F-22 and J-20 are roughly equal in capabilities.

The F-35 first entered service with the U.S. military (with the U.S.  Marine Corps) in August and deploys technologies more advanced than the F-22.

Li derided the performance of the F-22 as "not satisfactory." She arguers the J-20 will be able to match the stealth, radar-evading properties of the F-22.

She also claims the J-20 might break the monopoly of Western countries on fourth-generation fighters, perhaps even exerting a bigger influence than the F-22 Raptor.

Li also revealed something new about the J-20. She said information from an electronics plant in Suzhou revealed the main data display of the J-20 can be controlled and adjusted using voice commands.

On the other hand, western experts and even the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) agree the F-22 is a fifth generation fighter, making Li's assertion the F-22 is otherwise totally inaccurate.

Western experts also tend to view the J-20 as not a true stealth fighter but a "low observable" jet without the "all aspect stealth" (or stealth from any angle) that qualifies an aircraft as a true stealth aircraft.

The J-20 stealth is mostly forward facing, meaning its radar cross section is at its smallest when seen by radar head-on. From other angles, the big J-20 with its many un-stealth like surfaces like its canards, appears as large as a fourth generation fighter on radar screens.

On the other hand, the radar cross section of the F-22 has been described as being equivalent to that of a small steel marble, which means it's practically invisible to radar.

TagsLockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, Chengdu J-20, U.S. Air Force, Li Li, Northrop Grumman F-35