Display of J-20 fighter thrills spectators at air show

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force has for the first time placed its J-20 stealth fighter jet on display at an ongoing open-house activity that opened on Friday in Changchun, capital of Jilin province.

A J-20 fifth-generation stealth fighter jet has been parked on site during the Air Force's 2025 Open-house Activity and the Changchun Air Show, only meters away from spectators.

This is the first time that the Air Force has allowed members of the public to have a close look at the radar-evading fighter, which features world-class technology and capability.

In addition to the ground display, the J-20 is also part of airborne performances at the event. It took part in a tactical maneuver flight show on Friday morning together with another three J-20s.

They conducted a flyby in a diamond-shaped formation and presented dazzling maneuvers, igniting spectators' enthusiasm.

A large crowd of visitors clustered outside the cordon in front of the J-20's parking stand, waiting for its return. They burst into cheers and applause when the aircraft taxied back to the stand and the pilot waved to greet them.

Designed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, an Aviation Industry Corp of China subsidiary in Sichuan province, the J-20 is China's first stealth-class combat aircraft and so far the largest and heaviest fighter in service in the military. It sparked nationwide excitement on Jan 11, 2011, after its maiden flight, which happened that day at an AVIC airport in Sichuan.