China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Jet Not For Sale To Foreign Customers

China’s J-20 fighter jet which made its air show debut yesterday will not be offered for sale to international customers.

"The J-20 is not for sale so far because it is the most advanced fighter jet that China has, that's why the debut was very short," Chen Chen Hu, chief editor of Chinese military magazine World Military Affairs, was quoted by the Global Times Tuesday, adding that China only wants to send a signal to the world that it formally has the fifth generation stealth fighter jet but that further details will remain secret.

This means the aircraft will not be offered for sale to Pakistan, China’s biggest arms buyer and one with whom it has a successful partnership in joint projects in military aviation. However a member of the Pakistani Air Force delegation was quoted by Global Times that "it [J-20 flight] was very impressive," except it was too short.

Pakistan does not have a fighter to match India’s Su-30MKI and the potential stealth fighter, T-50 which India has contracted with Russia for a joint manufacturing deal.

Although J-20’s appearance was less than one minute, those watching with knowledge of military matters could sense the advantage of this China-made fifth-generation fighter jet.

"The angle of the climb that the J-20 achieved during its exhibition flight was about 90 degrees. That proves the quality of the engine is very high, and this will give us advantages in actual combat," a Chinese air force officer surnamed Wang told the Global Times on Tuesday.