Top fighter jets to join in Changchun air show

The People's Liberation Army Air Force will send its best aircraft to conduct flight demonstrations at an upcoming air show in Changchun, capital of Jilin province, according to Air Force officers.

Senior Colonel Zhang Shouhai from the Air Force's Staff Department said at a news conference on Friday in Beijing that the J-20 stealth fighter jet, YY-20 aerial refueling aircraft and J-16 multirole combat plane will fly during the air show, which will be held at the Aviation University of Air Force in Changchun from Wednesday to July 30.

This will be the third time for the Air Force to host the air show in Changchun, after the first was held in October 2019 and the second in August 2022.

Multiple J-20s and YY-20s will form a group in flight display while J-10S and J-11S twin-seat fighter jets will make aerial combat maneuvers for spectators this year, Zhang said.

Meanwhile, Air Force aerobatic teams will carry out stunt performances during the event, Zhang said.

Lieutenant Colonel Hou Jian, an officer in the Air Force's Equipment Department, said at the conference that a total of 45 aircraft of 13 types will be sent to Changchun to conduct flight performances.

Hou said a host of the latest hardware — including the WZ-10 reconnaissance drone, Z-20KA utility helicopter and KJ-500A early-warning plane — will be shown to the public.

A total of 137 sets of ground-based equipment such as air defense radars, missiles and artillery guns, will also take part in the air show, he said, adding that a lot of the Air Force's time-honored planes and weapons will be present at the event.

Zhang said the exhibition and performance of hardware are intended to show to the public the history, power and achievements of the Air Force, popularize culture and knowledge about the country's aerospace capability, garner more attention and support, and attract talented people to join the force.

Moreover, visitors will have opportunities to participate in guided tours of flight training facilities at the Aviation University of Air Force and see how its students learn to fly. They will also have an opportunity to talk with elite pilots.

There will also be simulation sections allowing visitors to have a try at operating planes and parachuting, Zhang added.

The coming event will become the first massive air show in China this year. About 700,000 visitors are expected, said Ma Yanfeng, executive vice-mayor of Changchun. Ma said there will be seven exhibition halls with a combined area of 30,600 square meters — much larger than those in the previous two air shows — and 139 enterprises involved in aviation and space industries have registered to participate.

Wang Yanan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said this year's Changchun air show will be worth attending because visitors will have an opportunity to enjoy well-designed, sophisticated flight maneuvers by China's top military aircraft, and it will be the first time many of the maneuvers will be displayed to the public.

"I look forward to seeing the joint flight performance of the J-20, YY-20 and J-16. I believe pilots will show us their newest skills and tactics," Wang said.