China appears to have completed a prototype of its first known stealth fighter, reports said Wednesday, highlighting Beijing's military modernisation days ahead of a visit by the US defence secretary. Photographs published online and Chinese military sources cited by the Japanese media indicate a test model of the J-20 fighter has been finished, with taxi tests carried out last week at an airfield in south-western China.
China plans to begin test flights of the J-20 as soon as this month, with plans to deploy the jet as early as 2017, Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper said, quoting Chinese military sources. The fighter will be equipped with large missiles and could reach Guam with aerial refuelling, although it would take 10 to 15 more years to develop technology on a par with that of the US F-22 stealth jet, it said. "While strengthening efforts to advance to the open ocean, the Chinese military is rapidly proceeding with modernisation of its air force," the Asahi Shimbun said. "The move may affect the military balance in East Asia."