The PLA Air Force is steadily fielding the J-20, with at least 50 new jets delivered since June 2024, reaching a fleet of at least 300 J-20s.
The PLA Air Force has now been confirmed to have 300 J-20s in service, based on the registration and tail numbers of four of the aircraft that reached the northeastern city of Changchun, in the Jilin province, between Sep. 12 and 14, 2025, for the air show slated to kick off this week.
In a post on Sep. 12, leading Chinese military researcher Andreas Rupprecht observed a J-20 from the 19th Air Brigade with the serial number 63106, which was assessed to be the 300th airframe. This was based on the construction number “CB10300” on the cheek under the canopy – which indicates the production’s batch 10 and the 300th J-20.
The other three J-20s confirmed to be participating in the Changchun Air Show bear the serial numbers 63005, 63101 and 63201, Rupprecht said on Sep. 14. These are from the 19th Air Brigade based at the Zhangjiakou/Ningyuan Autonomous Province. Also, Rupprecht shared another image on Sep. 16, showing the PLAAF having put a J-20 on a static display for the first time.
Another two images pic.twitter.com/TSrs5iYxmy
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) September 12, 2025
Chinese Vs US stealth aircraft fleet
The Diplomat estimated in June 2024 that the J-20 program has produced approximately 250 aircraft, while over 200 are in active service. We then reported in January 2025 about 412th Test Wing chief Brig. Gen. Doug Wickert’s talk during Back-in-the-Saddle day, where he shared staggering figures of how the PLA outnumbers the U.S. in both the air and on the sea.
According to Wickert, by 2027, the PLA will outnumber U.S. forces about 12 to 1 in modern fighter jets (including 5 to 3 in fifth-generation aircraft) and 3 to 1 in maritime patrol planes He added the PLA has the largest fleet of 225 manned bombers and, on the seas, it has a 3-to-1 advantage in aircraft carriers.
The U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Raptor fleet stands at 180 airframes, with 32 in an older configuration largely used for flight testing and training. As for F-35As, the service had about 246 active airframes as per FlightGlobal’s World Air Forces 2025 report, that counted figures up to the end of 2024.
The 300th J-20, Sr. No. 63106, has entered Chinese service 🙌 The stealth fighter was recently spotted arriving at the Changchun Air Show 2025, highlighting Beijing’s expanding 5th-gen fleet. pic.twitter.com/Nit70Bubij
— Air Power (@RealAirPower1) September 14, 2025
The figure recently touched 500 jets delivered to the service, when the Florida Air National Guard’s 125th Fighter Wing received its first three permanently stationed F-35As. Lockheed Martin also reported in mid-July that it cleared its F-35 delivery backlog, after long-standing issues with the new Technology Refresh-3 (TR-3) software code.
The U.S. Navy had 41 F-35Cs while the U.S. Marine Corps had 122 F-35B and F-35Cs, the World Air Forces 2025 report mentioned. These figures have also risen, although there is no confirmation of the current numbers.
According to Huitong, we now have three more J-20s confirmed attending the Changchun Air Show 2025 besides the already known serial number 63106, namely the numbers 63005, 63101 & 63201 also from the 19th Air Brigade based at Zhangjiakou / Ningyuan AP. pic.twitter.com/1NwcsY1Rxg
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) September 14, 2025
Other advantages
The entire U.S. fleet of roughly 600 stealth aircraft would not be fully available, considering deployment commitments in EUCOM (European Command) and CENTCOM (Central Command) AORs (Areas of Responsibility) as well as training and maintenance. Likewise, a good portion of China’s 300 J-20s would be committed to training and periodic downtimes for maintenance.
However, these would be supported by a large fleet of 4th and 4.5th generation J-16, J-11, Su-30MKK, Su-35 and the J-10C, beside the PLA Navy’s Liaoning, Shandong and Fujian carriers flying the J-35, and the J-15. In the future, these would be supported by at least four different types of CCAs, and possibly three sixth-generation aircraft.
— Húrin (@Hurin92) September 5, 2025
This force would be backed by a massive standoff fires arsenal with the PLARF (PLA Rocket Force) numbering in the several thousands, and the individual services’ own missile inventory, that reduces the need for classic force-on-force contact.
This is not to mention China’s industrial advantage in churning out capital weapons without the industrial and supply chain constraints. The U.S. and Western militaries are meanwhile struggling with reviving their defense industries and would take several years to replenish their depleted arsenals after donations to Ukraine.
Seems like J-35A in PLAAF (and thus J-35 too presumably, for PLANAF) has a retractable ladder.
Also, the flightline with J-20, J-20A and J-20S looks somewhat impressive.
Via 沉默的山羊 wb pic.twitter.com/xklCGYSKbo
— Rick Joe (@RickJoe_PLA) September 6, 2025
J-20’s evolution
As it now stands, China has three variants of the J-20. These are the older J-20, with the full bubble cockpit canopy; the J-20A with the slightly different nose, shorter canopy and longer ‘nape’ touching the spine, with the additional space meant for additional fuel, avionics, electronic warfare; and the twin-seat J-20S. Some observers like Rupprecht have also referred to the latter as the J-20AS.
The J-20A and the J-20S/AS are also differentiated by a darker black paint scheme, a greyish-silver outline on the leading and trailing edges of the wings, canards and the vertical stabilizers, and a blueish-tinged EOTS (Electro-Optical Tracking System) on the chin. However, the engine on the J-20A and the J-20S/AS has still been noted to be a variant of the WS-10C, despite a J-20A prototype in factory yellow primer captured with the supercruise-capable fifth-generation WS-15 in September 2024.
IMO best image of a J-20S (I prefer to call it AS or even B) or J-20A showing the new darker colour scheme and the new blueish-shining EOTS. https://t.co/25tkv7mDvH pic.twitter.com/u4kWC1S3qh
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) July 5, 2025
It is unclear whether this means the WS-15 is still to reach, or has just begun serial production, and would be installed on future J-20, J-20A and J-20AS production models. Distinguished by thrust vectoring and serrated nozzles, the engine is believed to be the Chinese counterpart to the Pratt & Whitney F135 that powers the F-35 series, and the Izdeliye 30 that flies on the newer production batches of Russia’s Su-57.
Including the French Safran M88 and the Eurojet EJ200, these are the most advanced fourth and fifth-generation engines currently. The WS-15 might not match them in performance or the niche materials science that makes their turbine blades and the engine core. But it is the best that works for the PLAAF’s needs.
With the new J-20A and J-20S in service the J-20 fleet across variants should be way passing 300.
Adding the J-35A, the PLAAF will operate north to 400 5th gen fighters very soon if not already achieved this milestone. pic.twitter.com/MXTMQjKYOC
— SomePLAOSINT (@someplaosint) September 12, 2025
Conclusion
China’s defense expansion is in line with the new dictum established in the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East – that size matters. A conventional military with albeit relatively less advanced yet home-built platforms that can be rapidly scaled, repaired and upgraded, decisively determines a war’s larger strategic outcomes. This is seen in Ukraine and Israel’s dependency on Western weapons.
For instance, the U.S. had its F-35 production hit in the Pandemic, while at least some minor components like electronic, electrical and mechanical goods for nearly all its frontline aircraft originated from China, at least until September 2024. These include almost all the platforms currently in service.
