Rumored stealth jet undergoes tests
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In December, Moscow and New Delhi reached a raft of defense and nuclear deals potentially worth billions of dollars, including joint design and development of fifth-generation fighter aircraft based on the T-50.
It took 15 years for the US military to develop the F-22, which costs around $150 million per unit. However, its production was terminated after President Barack Obama signed the country's 2010 de-fense bill that included huge spending cuts.
In promoting the defense bill, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in 2009 that China "is projected to have no fifth-generation aircraft by 2020" and only a "handful" by 2025, Reuters reported.
Li Daguang, a military expert at the PLA National Defense University, told the Global Times that Gates' prediction was overly optimistic.
"The recent rumor about the J-20 is pure speculation," he said. "The F-22 is an offensive weapon that fits Washington's global strategy. China's defense development is self-defensive in nature and does not require a fighter jet of that caliber.
"Furthermore, if China does want a fourth-generation fighter jet, it needs to build a large number of them in order to affect the regional military balance. The US has capped its number of F-22s at 187. How many should China build?"
Li also noted that China's aviation technology is still far away from competing with Western countries, especially the US.
"Some Western media are more optimistic than Gates, and than the Chinese people," he said. "They've hyped the issue because they want to."
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