China will reportedly commission its first Chengdu J-20 "stealth" fighters into active service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) later this month, according to reliable sources citing new information derived from hitherto secret data.

 Images said to have been taken from classified government social sites show two J-20s bearing the serial numbers 78271 and 78274 on their vertical stabilizers. These two fighters plus four other J-20s will be turned over to the PLAAF in a formal ceremony this December.

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Chinese military analysts said the numbers confirm the fighters are now part of the "176th Air Brigade" based at the Dingxin Air Force Base in north central China. This air base near the Shuangchengzi missile test range is the site of much of the PLAAF's flight testing.

Other J-20s are said to be undergoing flight tests by the 170th, 171st, 172nd and 175th Air Brigades.

The commissioning of the J-20s comes slightly over a month after they made their first public flight at the Zhuhai Air Show on Nov. 1. Two J-20s performed a tame aerobatic routine lasting less than one minute before flying away, a disappointing performance that led to suspicions the fighters were less than ready for the airshow.

Although billed by China as a stealth fighter the equivalent of the Northrop Grumman F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the J-20 is nowhere near the F-35 in all aspect stealth and capabilities. Some western experts argue the J-20 is only a "low observable" aircraft lacking in all-aspect stealth, the hallmark of a true stealth fighter.

Nevertheless, the J-20 in PLAAF frontline service will present a tremendous challenge for the Indian Air Force (IAF) whose indigenous stealth fighter program has yet to get off the ground.

India, however, wants its indigenous stealth fighter to become operational with the IAF before 2025. It plans to build as many as 127 stealth fighters.

India's Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) project will be developed and produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at its facility in Nashik at an estimated cost of $25 billion.

India expects its new fifth generation stealth fighter to be superior in key aspects to Russia's PAK FA T-50 from which it's derived. The Indian jet will also have the added advantage of being able to fire the newest iteration of the fearsome BrahMos cruise missile, the BrahMos NG.

And since PAK FA is already superior to the J-20, this means the Indian stealth jet will also be superior to the J-20.

TagsChengdu J-20, stealth fighter, People's Liberation Army Air Force, PLAAF, Zhuhai Air Show, Northrop Grumman F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, low observable, Indian Air Force, Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft, PAK FA T-50