J-20 Mighty Dragon

China's first operational fifth-generation stealth fighter — a twin-engine, low-observable air-superiority platform built by Chengdu, fielded exclusively by the PLAAF with an estimated 200+ aircraft in service, and now expanding into maritime strike.

Overview

The Chengdu J-20 (Jian-20), officially dubbed the Mighty Dragon (Weilong) and assigned the reported but unofficial NATO reporting name "Fagin," is the People's Liberation Army Air Force's (PLAAF) premier fifth-generation stealth air-superiority fighter. Developed by the AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC), the J-20 is a large, twin-engine, canard-delta design optimized for long-range BVR engagement, low observability, and high-end networked operations. It entered PLAAF service in 2017 with combat-ready units stood up from approximately 2018, and has since become the centerpiece of China's fighter-modernization drive, with an estimated fleet exceeding 200 aircraft by 2024, according to the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. No export customers have been announced; the type remains exclusive to Chinese service.

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