Stealth Standoff Near China Hints At Shifting Airpower Balance

2025-10-07 12:01:24

(MENAFN- Asia Times) China's revelation of a J-16's near-miss with foreign stealth jets has highlighted the intensifying race for air dominance in the Pacific-one defined less by combat encounters than by who can field, fund and sustain the future of airpower.

This month, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that China has revealed a previously undisclosed aerial confrontation in 2024 involving a domestically produced J-16 fighter jet and two unidentified foreign stealth aircraft near its coastal waters, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The incident, recounted by People's Liberation Army (PLA) pilot Li Chao of the Western Theatre Command, happened during a routine training exercise when the foreign jets approached Chinese airspace with what Li described as“clear intentions of intersecting and provoking.”

In response, Li executed a series of aggressive maneuvers, including a barrel roll and inverted flight within 10 to 15 meters of one jet, before locking onto both aircraft simultaneously using the J-16's targeting system. The foreign jets subsequently withdrew, and no similar aircraft have reappeared in the area since, CCTV noted.

The Western Theater Command oversees sensitive border zones, including Xinjiang and Tibet. The disclosure comes amid China's ongoing modernization of its air fleet, replacing aging J-7s with advanced J-10C and J-16 multirole fighters. The J-16's capabilities are viewed by analysts as critical for deep-strike missions and the neutralization of strategic assets.

The episode reflects the growing intersection of technology, training and readiness that now defines airpower competition.

Chinese analysts have focused particularly on the US-made F-35, with SCMP mentioning an April 2023 study in the peer-reviewed Modern Defense Technology journal, which says the F-35 is likely a greater threat than the older F-22, having more advanced avionics and multirole capabilities, compared to the latter, which is optimized for air superiority.

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