In a significant escalation over the East China Sea, Beijing flew its most advanced stealth fighter jet J-20 over the Tsushima Strait, completely undetected.
The waterway, separating South Korea and Japan, is one of the most closely monitored maritime corridors in the world. It acts as a strategically significant chokepoint connecting the Sea of Japan (East Sea) with the East China Sea.
The area is saturated with a dense network of radar and early warning systems operated by the United States, Japan, and South Korea.
The US also maintains its cutting-edge Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in the region.
Yet, not a single military unit from any of the allied forces reported spotting the Chinese stealth fighters.
According to Chinese state media, the elite First Fighter Brigade of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force now regularly flies over the Bashi Channel, the Tsushima Strait, and patrols areas around Taiwan.
Experts suggest that the move sends a clear message, China has growing confidence in the stealth capabilities and combat readiness of its J-20 fleet.
This is not the first time that China has flown fighter jets over the strategic waters. Back in 2017, China flew older H-6K bombers and J-11 fighters through the same channel. Those aircraft were immediately detected and tracked by Japanese defense forces.
But, the Chengdu J-20, also known as Mighty Dragon, is different.
It's a single seat twin jet aircraft equipped with 2x Shenyang WS-10B engines.
The jet has a wingspan of 13.5 meters, Height of 4.4 meters and is 20.4 meters long.
With a range of 6000 kilometres, the J-20 can fly at a speed of Mach 2 and maintain an altitude of 20,000 meters.
The Mighty Dragon can carry short range PL-10, Medium range PL-12, long range PL-15 and PL21 missiles.
But, most importantly, J-20 is believed to have multi spectrum sensors and the ability to evade enemy radar.
In the recent sorties, China also flew the J-20s over the Bashi Channel, which lies between the Philippines and Taiwan within the Luzon Strait. This waterway connects the Pacific Ocean to the South China Sea—a vital maritime route for commercial shipping and military maneuvers.
Both the Tsushima Strait and the Bashi Channel are strategically vital. In the event of a Taiwan conflict, control of these routes would be crucial.
As China pushes its military dominance over Western Pacific there has been many encounters between US and Chinese air forces.
On July 1, China claimed its fighter jets clashed with a foreign military aircraft in waters to the east.
On June 29, PLAAF scrambled J-15s, J-16s, and J-20s to intercept and chase away U.S. F-35As and F/A-18 Super Hornets believed to be on reconnaissance missions.
Earlier this month, Japan and China exchanged accusations over close aerial encounters in the East China Sea. Japan accused a Chinese fighter of an "unusual approach," while China claimed Japanese aircraft had entered its Air Defense Identification Zone.
China now uses the J-20 for most of its “regular patrol missions.” The PLAAF has reportedly equipped 12 air brigades with the fifth-generation jet.
China has publicly set a goal of producing 1,000 J-20s by 2030. Currently, the annual production rate stands at around 120 units.
Analysts believe China's goal to deploy J-20s across all five PLAAF theater commands by 2026 signals its intent to assert dominance over the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
According to a recent Pentagon report, China already operates over 400 J-20s—making it home to one of the world’s largest stealth fighter fleets.
Unlike other Chinese military hardware, the J-20 is not offered for export—similar to how the U.S. has kept its F-22 Raptor exclusive to its own forces. This secrecy underscores the strategic importance China places on the aircraft.
