Several former and current U.S. fighter pilots are warning that the Shenyang J-31, a new Chinese stealth fighter, may eventually be able to match the capabilities of the F-22 and F-35. Spying was identified as a key reason why.
"They’re still in the glossy brochure phase of development, so they still look 10 feet tall and bulletproof," a senior U.S. fighter pilot told USNI News. "I think they’ll eventually be on par with our fifth-gen jets—as they should be, because industrial espionage is alive and well."
"They sure look like F-35 and F-22s, don’t they?" an Air Force operational test pilot told the paper.
A former pilot with "extensive experience with foreign hardware" said the sheer number of fighters China may be able to field is more concerning than the planes themselves.
"I worry about numbers more than particular platforms," he said. "I imagine their jets and their weapons are pretty good. Don’t know about the pilots or their capacity to employ."
He was cautious about heaping too much praise on the fighter. "Just remember that airshows are exactly that—airshows," he said.
