According to a report by AFP on November 12, the largest air show in China officially opened on the 12th, with jet fighters and attack drones taking center stage. This is an opportunity for Beijing to showcase its growing military strength to potential customers and competitors.

The China Airshow is held every two years in the southern city of Zhuhai, showcasing Beijing's achievements in both civil and military aviation. The star of this year's airshow is the new J-35A stealth fighter.

Videos released by official media show that on the 12th, the aircraft took off, its engines roaring, then performed a roll maneuver and accelerated away, exciting the spectators on the ground.

Experts say that the participation of the J-35A in the China Airshow indicates that this fighter is almost ready for deployment. This will make China the only country besides the United States to possess two types of stealth fighters.

On the morning of the 12th, a group of J-20 fighters also performed in a diamond formation.

Chinese official media quoted military expert Wang Mingzhi as saying that the combination of the J-20 and J-35A will significantly enhance the capabilities of the People's Liberation Army Air Force to conduct offensive operations in "high-threat, high-confrontation environments."

According to CCTV, the J-15T of the People's Liberation Army Navy will make its debut at the China Airshow.

The design of the J-15T suggests that it may be used on China's aircraft carrier Fujian.

This airshow also set up a special drone exhibition area, reflecting the increasingly prominent role of drones.

According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post, the China Airshow will showcase the "Jiutian" drone. This is a large drone capable of deploying swarms of smaller drones to perform intelligence gathering and strike missions.

In addition, media reports indicate that a model of a domestically produced reusable cargo spaceplane will make its debut at this airshow.

The "Haolong" cargo spaceplane is launched using commercial launch rockets and can dock with the Chinese space station.

Reports say it can re-enter the atmosphere, fly, and land horizontally, achieving the recovery and reuse of spacecraft flights.

According to a report by the Singapore Lianhe Zaobao on November 12, the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition opened in Zhuhai on the 12th. Various types of weaponry will be publicly displayed, including the Chinese J-35A, J-20, and the Russian Su-57 stealth fighters appearing together for the first time. The Wing Loong-X anti-submarine drone will also make its debut at the China Airshow.

According to Chinese media reports, the Wing Loong-X anti-submarine drone is a long-range, heavy-load, multi-tasking medium-altitude long-endurance drone system. It is fully based on real combat scenarios and customer needs, adopting a forward design concept, and is considered the "ceiling" of medium-altitude long-endurance drone system products, at an internationally advanced level.

In addition, according to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post on November 11, a model showcasing what next-generation fighters might look like will be displayed at the largest airshow in China this week, as China hopes to gain an advantage in the competition to develop future fighters.

The "Bai Di" fighter project aims to develop what the media calls an "integrated aerospace fighter." According to media reports, its design concept includes the ability to fly at hypersonic speeds and operate in space by breaking through the Earth's atmosphere.

Also, according to Reuters on November 12, Chinese aircraft manufacturer COMAC announced that the domestically produced regional jet ARJ21 has a new commercial name "C909," consistent with the naming rules of other models from the country's companies. This new name was showcased at the largest airshow in Zhuhai on the 12th.

Staff at the COMAC booth said that the C909 has undergone some improvements compared to the previous ARJ21.

COMAC's ARJ21 regional jet entered commercial operation in 2016.

Reports indicate that this change shows that China increasingly hopes for its domestically produced aircraft to become a comprehensive alternative to Airbus and Boeing.

According to Reuters on November 12, COMAC stated on the 12th that China International Airlines intends to become the first customer of the C929 wide-body passenger aircraft that the company is developing. The C929 wide-body passenger aircraft aims to compete with Airbus and Boeing's twin-aisle models.

COMAC announced this news at the largest airshow in Zhuhai. COMAC stated that the C929 wide-body passenger aircraft has a seating capacity of 280 and a range of 12,000 kilometers.

The aircraft manufacturer also announced that Hainan Airlines Group has confirmed an order for 60 C919 narrow-body aircraft and 40 C909 regional jets, while Colorful Guizhou Airlines has signed an order for 30 C909 aircraft, of which 20 are confirmed orders and 10 are intended orders. (Translated by Wang Diqing, Li Sha, Ma Dan, Zhang Lin)