New stealth jet stars at China air show

Stealth fighter jets and attack drones took center stage as China's largest air show officially opened on Nov 12, an opportunity for Beijing to showcase its growing military might to potential customers and rivals alike.

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China has poured resources into modernizing and expanding its aviation capabilities as it faces off against the US and others around regional flashpoints like Taiwan.

Record numbers of Chinese warplanes have been sent around the self-ruled democratic island, which Beijing claims as its territory, over the past few years.

The star of Airshow China, which showcases Beijing's civil and military aerospace sector every two years in Zhuhai, is the new J-35A stealth fighter jet.

State media videos show the warplane rearing up into the air, engines roaring, before flipping upside-down and speeding away.

Its inclusion in the air show suggests it is nearly ready to enter operation, which would make China the only country other than the US to have two stealth fighters in action, experts said.

The J-35A is lighter than the existing J20 and looks more similar in design to a US F-35.