China's Stealth Jets Simulate Battle With U.S. Air Attack As Global Tensions Rise

Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine passing its one-year anniversary and heightened tensions between China and Taiwan, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) completed a mock exercise that experts said could simulate President Xi Jinping’s response to a U.S. air attack, according to the pro-Chinese Communist Party publication Global Times.

What Happened

Earlier this month, in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the PLA air defense brigade were able to track and successfully set a target on to a J-20 stealth fighter jet deployed by the PLA Air Force.

The mock attack by the J-20 jet could simulate a potential real-life attack by a US F-35 Lightning II.

The U.S. has many F-35 jets stationed in countries near China, which Jinping views as a threat to China’s national defense, according to the report. The fighter jets, made by Lockheed Martin Corp LMT, have “transformational capabilities [that] enable pilots to operate in any environment, against any threat,” according to the company.

China’s J-20 jet, which is comparable the F-35, would have been shot down by the ground forces had the exercise not been a drill, according to the outlet, which referenced reporting on China Central Television.

Despite the J-20 quickly changing direction to navigate the mountainous landscape, flying at a low altitude and using electromagnetic interference in a mock nighttime attack, the air defense’s countermeasures would have proven effective.

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