Military experts revealed that China recently tested a new stealth fighter jet showing that the communist country is trying to keep pace with the United States.
Reports indicate that China's new stealth fighter designated as J-31 and called the "Falcon Eagle," is the second such fighter to be tested by the Chinese military after a similar test flight took place in 2010.
The test flight of the twin-engine fighter jet took place over the Shenyang Aircraft Company's airfield located in northeastern China. Pictures and video of the test flight were posted online by Chinese bloggers.
Aviation experts agree that the Chinese jet fighter holds a striking resemblance to the United States most advanced stealth jet fighter the F-22, but contend that the quality of the Chinese version in not quite on par with the American version.
"In terms of design it appears the J-31 is inferior to the latest US planes…the layout is similar, but the material and quality are inferior. It will take at least seven or eight years before it can be commercially sold," Andrei Chang, head of the Kanwa Information Center, told AFP.
"I think the regime is trying to show off to their colleagues that the Hu Jintao regime achieved a lot for China," he added.
Many experts believe that the Falcon Eagle was developed to be deployed off of China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which the Chinese military has been testing since 2011. They also explain that it still could be primarily land-based.
With such a striking resemblance to the American F-22 there are rumors that the J-31 jet fighter was based on blueprints that were stolen from the servers of American defense contractors in 2009.
Analyst David Axe explained that the test flight was "a huge leap forward for China's ambitious stealth warplane program." Adding that, "there are still more questions than answers about China's second stealth fighter model," according to Wired.com
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