The J-20, China’s fifth-generation stealth fighter, represents a significant leap in the country’s military aviation capabilities. Developed by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, the J-20 is designed to perform a range of roles, including air superiority and strike missions. It features an elongated fuselage, forward-swept wings, and canards, which enhance its agility and maneuverability.
The aircraft’s low observable design minimizes its radar cross-section, enabling it to evade detection by advanced enemy radars. With a focus on advanced technology, the J-20 incorporates sophisticated avionics and an array of sensors that provide comprehensive situational awareness, making it a formidable contender in modern aerial combat.
In contrast, the F-22 Raptor, developed by Lockheed Martin, is the United States’ premier air superiority fighter. Launched in the early 2000s, the F-22 is known for its exceptional speed, agility, and advanced stealth capabilities. It employs a supercruise engine, allowing it to fly at supersonic speeds without afterburners, thereby conserving fuel and extending its operational range. The F-22’s design features advanced composite materials and a unique shape that helps it maintain a low radar profile. This fighter is equipped with cutting-edge avionics and a suite of weapons, enabling it to dominate the skies and engage multiple targets simultaneously.

Both the J-20 and F-22 are crucial to the operational capabilities and defense strategies of their respective nations. For China, the J-20 is a cornerstone of its military modernization efforts, aimed at asserting its influence in the Asia-Pacific region and deterring potential adversaries. Similarly, the F-22 plays a vital role in the U.S. Air Force’s ability to maintain air superiority and project power globally. As tensions rise, particularly regarding Taiwan, the strategic importance of these aircraft becomes increasingly evident, as each nation seeks to leverage its technological advancements to enhance its deterrence and combat effectiveness.

The J-20 boasts impressive technical specifications that enhance its combat capabilities. Measuring approximately 20.3 meters in length with a wingspan of 13.5 meters, the J-20 is larger than the F-22. It is powered by two indigenous WS-10 or WS-15 engines, which provide significant thrust for both maneuverability and range.
The aircraft is equipped with advanced avionics, including a digital fly-by-wire system and an integrated electronic warfare suite. Its radar, believed to be based on the domestically produced KLJ-7, features advanced phased-array technology, allowing for improved target tracking and engagement in complex environments. The J-20 also incorporates a range of sensors, such as infrared search and track [IRST] systems and multi-function radar, which enhance its situational awareness.
It can carry a payload of up to 14,000 kg, with a diverse array of munitions including air-to-air missiles, precision-guided bombs, and hypersonic weapons, granting it versatility in various combat scenarios. Its operational range is estimated to be around 5,500 kilometers, enabling it to conduct long-range missions without requiring refueling.

The F-22 Raptor is similarly impressive in its capabilities, measuring about 18.9 meters in length with a wingspan of 13.6 meters. It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 engines, enabling it to reach speeds exceeding Mach 2. The aircraft features advanced avionics, including the AN/APG-77 radar, which employs an active electronically scanned array [AESA] for superior target detection and tracking capabilities.
The F-22 is equipped with advanced sensor fusion technology, integrating data from multiple sources to provide pilots with a comprehensive picture of the battlespace. Its arsenal includes a combination of AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, as well as precision-guided munitions, giving it formidable air-to-air and air-to-ground strike capabilities.
The operational range of the F-22 is approximately 2,000 kilometers, which, while less than that of the J-20, is complemented by its ability to be refueled in flight, enhancing its flexibility in combat situations.
In modern air warfare, the larger operational radius of the J-20 combined with its greater payload capacity may offer it a significant advantage over the F-22. This advantage can be particularly crucial in scenarios involving conflicts over Taiwan, where extended reach can enable the J-20 to engage targets at greater distances, reducing the risk of interception by enemy fighters.

The J-20’s capacity to carry more weapons allows it to sustain prolonged engagement with enemy aircraft, potentially overwhelming them with firepower and diversifying its attack options. This operational flexibility could allow the People’s Liberation Army Air Force [PLAAF] to project power more effectively, securing air dominance during key operations.
Moreover, the J-20’s larger fuel capacity enhances its ability to conduct long-range missions without needing to refuel frequently, allowing for extended patrols and surprise attacks. This operational endurance may enable the J-20 to establish a persistent presence over contested areas, deterring enemy actions and supporting ground forces in a Taiwan scenario. The ability to launch strikes from a distance not only preserves the element of surprise but also increases the likelihood of success by engaging enemy defenses before they can respond effectively.

In a potential conflict, the tactical employment of the J-20 would focus on leveraging its range and payload advantages. It would likely operate in a networked environment, utilizing its advanced sensors and data-sharing capabilities to coordinate strikes with other platforms. The J-20 could engage F-22s from beyond their effective range, forcing them into defensive postures and limiting their engagement options. This tactic could create opportunities for China to achieve air superiority by outmaneuvering and outgunning the U.S. fighters before they can effectively respond.
Additionally, the J-20’s stealth characteristics would play a critical role in its operational tactics. By maintaining a low radar profile, the J-20 could infiltrate enemy airspace undetected, allowing for surprise strikes on critical targets. The combination of stealth and a larger weapons payload would enable the J-20 to execute precise strikes on air defenses, communication nodes, and command centers, crippling the enemy’s operational capabilities before a larger conflict escalates.
Imagine a high-stakes scenario over the Taiwan Strait, where tensions are escalating and both the Chinese J-20 and the American F-22 are deployed in an aerial confrontation.
The J-20, equipped with its larger fuel capacity and superior operational range, could conduct a preemptive strike against key Taiwanese air defense systems from a distance, launching its payload of precision-guided munitions without needing to enter the range of the F-22s.
While the F-22s scramble to intercept, their relatively shorter operational range means they must refuel more frequently, limiting their time in the air and operational flexibility. Meanwhile, the J-20 can remain on station longer, employing its advanced sensors to track and target enemy aircraft and ground installations.
This extended presence allows the J-20 to systematically degrade enemy capabilities while avoiding direct engagement until conditions are favorable, leveraging its stealth features to evade detection. As the F-22s struggle to maintain air superiority in a fast-evolving battlefield, the J-20’s ability to stay airborne and strike decisively could lead to a tactical advantage, ultimately shifting the balance in favor of China in this crucial engagement.
In conclusion, while both the J-20 and F-22 are advanced fifth-generation fighters with unique capabilities the J-20’s larger operational radius and payload capacity may give it an edge in specific combat scenarios. The ability to engage targets from greater distances, combined with effective tactics, could allow China to assert dominance in the skies over Taiwan. But, the F-22 Raptors will not hunt alone. They will have heavy-duty F-15EX fighters and F-35 « flying computers »with them, which gives US Air Force a massive advantage over other powers.
However, the F-22’s unmatched agility, speed, and combat experience cannot be underestimated, making the outcome of any engagement between these two aircraft uncertain. Ultimately, while they are formidable rivals, the operational range of the J-20 could be a pivotal factor in shaping the tactical landscape of modern air warfare, potentially tipping the balance in favor of Beijing in a high-stakes conflict.
The J-20’s speculated weakness in dogfighting assumes that the Chinese designed it for that purpose. Experts believe it might be used in sniping modes with its latest radars, data-linking, and sensor fusion. Slipping past fighter screens using its stealth and jamming capability, it can take out vulnerable assets like the E-2D Hawkeye early warning aircraft and aerial refueling KC-46 tankers that leave US fighters like the F-22 without both range and detection.
It aligns with the overall Chinese anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) doctrine of using ultra-long-range missiles to hit enemy targets without allowing them to get close. The « carrier-killer » DF-21D Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM) is the most significant manifestation of this thinking. China’s perception of the future war being information intensive is reflected in its « intelligentized warfare » concept, where the pilot uses information with enhanced data-linking and situational awareness, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in an observe-orient-decide-act (OODA) loop in the air combat decision-making.