The president of the company that makes China's J-31 stealth fighter boasts that the plane could "definitely" shoot down a U.S.-made F-35 in a dogfight.

"When it takes to the sky, it can definitely take it down," Lin Zuoming, president of Aviation Industry Corp. of China told China Central Television (CCTV).  "That's a certainty."

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In an interview with the state-owned broadcaster Lin said the J-31 would compete against U.S.-made fighters by selling to countries that the U.S. won't sell military equipment to, and countries that can't afford the more expensive Lockheed Martin-made F-35.

"The next-generation air forces that are unable to buy the F-35 have no way to build themselves up," said Lin. "We don't believe the situation should be that way. This world should be balanced. Good things shouldn't all be pushed to one party."

China's military showcased the J-31 in its debut at the Airshow China in Zhuhai last month. With the introduction of the J-31, China joined the U.S. as the only two countries that have two stealth fighter designs in field testing at the same time.

Lin's claim of the J-31's superiority over the F-35 rubs some salt in Lockheed-Martin's wounds as it has been a rather difficult year for the American-made stealth fighter.

The F-35 has become the U.S. military's most expensive plane to date, and has endured a year of several fleet-wide groundings. And the fifth-generation fighter's most recent problem is requiring the U.S. Air Force to revamp its fleet of fuel trucks.

Because of a variety of heating problems that has plagued the F-35, the stealth fighter can only fly on jet fuel that is under a certain temperature. According to the Air Force, the dark-green trucks that carry the fuel absorb too much heat from the sun and exceed the temperature threshold.

That can be a serious problem for a military that sees a lot of conflict in the Middle East, where it is often very sunny and very hot.

As a stop-gap measure, the Air Force is repainting the tanker trailers of the trucks in a bright reflective white to reflect sunlight. But then that creates another issue, as large white tankers full of jet fuel could make easy targets for attackers.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasized strengthening the country's 2.3 million-strong armed forces as China takes a more aggressive stance in the region, particularly in the South China and East China seas.

TagsChina Boasts its J-31 Stealth Fighter Can Shoot Down U.S.-Made F-35, Aviation Industry Corp. of China, Lin Zuoming, Lockheed Martin, F-35