PLA Air Force's flight performance thrills spectators in Changchun

The People's Liberation Army Air Force sent a large fleet of aircraft to present a flight performance at its 2025 Open-house Activity and the Changchun Air Show that opened on Friday in Changchun, capital of Jilin province.

A number of advanced fighter jets, bombers, early-warning and control aircraft appeared in the flight performance following the opening ceremony of the Air Force activity and air show.

An estimated 100,000 spectators, mostly weapons and aviation enthusiasts from across the nation, were expected to have witnessed the event on Friday morning, organizers said.

At the outset, eight JL-8 training planes from the Air Force's Red Eagle display team flew in close formation, displaying an aerobatic routine for the viewers.

Then, a YY-20A tanker jet and two J-16 strike planes conducted a flypast over the hundreds of thousands of visitors. They were followed by a KJ-500 early-warning and control aircraft and two H-6 bombers that also flew at a low altitude to greet the spectators.

The viewers' enthusiasm reached a climax when four J-20 stealth combat jets showed up in a diamond-shaped formation and staged dazzling tactical maneuvers.

The J-20 is China's first type of stealth combat aircraft. It sparked nationwide excitement on Jan 11, 2011, after its maiden flight was revealed to the public.

Code-named the Mighty Dragon, the J-20 made its public debut in Nov 2016 at the 11th Zhuhai Air Show in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. It entered service with the Air Force later that year, becoming only the world's third stealth fighter jet to enter service following the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II of the United States.

The flight show on Friday morning concluded with aerobatic flights by J-10AS fighters from the Air Force's August 1st Air Demonstration Team, China's best-known aerobatic team.