China’s newest stealth fighter is expected to be officially unveiled at a major air show this month, announcing its entry into service.
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Yue Gang, a retired colonel, said it was “very likely” that the plane would be officially unveiled at the show in Zhuhai in the southern province of Guangdong.
The state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China posted a series of photos and videos of the prototype, the FC-31 Gyrfalcon, on social media on Thursday, marking the 12th anniversary of the aircraft’s maiden flight.
Most of the other posts with the same hashtag were previews of aircraft to be unveiled at the air show.
The firm is the parent company of the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, which makes the stealth fighter.
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The fighter is the Chinese equivalent of Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II. Its entry into service would make China the second country after the United States to have two types of stealth aircraft.