30 December 2024

Dorito in the Sky: Unpacking China’s Radical New Stealth Fighter

Kyle Mizokami

Stealth Bomber or Fighter? Decoding the Secrets of China’s New Warplane

This afternoon, video and images of a brand-new Chinese fighter jet hit social media. While details are still sketchy, the Dorito-shaped aircraft is China’s most advanced manned aircraft design. Thanks to the netizens who posted images and clips to social media, we can infer a few things about its role and capabilities.

Still, other details will likely remain a mystery for months, if not years.

What We Know About China’s New 6th-Generation Fighter (Or Bomber?)

In a characteristically low-key release, China revealed a new, previously undisclosed fighter jet design to the world by flying it over an urban area, allowing citizens below to record video and feed clips into the never-ending social media stream.

For example, the 2010 reveal of the J-20 “Mighty Dragon” fighter involved flying it over a Chengdu airfield, whereupon aviation enthusiasts promptly photographed it.

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