Pentagon Still Learning China Stealth Jet Details, Morrell Says

The U.S. Defense Department is reserving judgment on the capabilities of China’s new J-20 fighter jet, spokesman Geoff Morrell said today.

Public reports are only speculation when they assert that the Chinese fighter has cutting-edge “fifth-generation” stealth technologies -- such as advanced sensors, avionics and communications gear -- like those used in Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-22 and F-35 jets, he said.

Photos of the Chinese aircraft have appeared on the Internet, and a test flight of the J-20 occurred Jan. 11, during Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s visit to Beijing.

Read more