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China’s military
ChinaMilitary

Could China’s twin-seat stealth fighter become a weapon in information warfare?

  • Two-seat J-20 can be used as tactical electronic jammer and early warning aircraft, says Chinese military magazine
  • The twin-seater ‘Mighty Dragon’ is also expected to command a swarm of drones

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Pictures and video clips of a J-20 stealth fighter variant have appeared on Chinese social media in recent days, suggesting it will soon make its maiden flight. Photo: Weibo
Kristin Huang
The twin-seater version of the J-20 fighter jet could be used as a tactical electronic jammer and an enhanced early warning aircraft in information warfare, according to a Chinese military magazine.
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It was previously thought that the two-seat stealth fighter would mainly be used to command a swarm of drones.

“In recent years, experts’ views on the position of fifth-generation aircraft in information warfare have changed, as the aircraft can perform more duties than in the past,” the article in the August edition of Ordnance Industry Science Technology said.

“People are hoping that a fifth-generation fighter can also work as a tactical electronic jammer, small tactical early warning aircraft, high-speed stealth reconnaissance aircraft … and become the commanding aircraft of a swarm of drones.”

The J-20 “Mighty Dragon”, which entered service in 2017, is an all-weather stealth fighter with precision strike capabilities. The first prototype of the twin-seat J-20 was unveiled in October last year, and a second prototype was unveiled in August this year.
The article said China could turn the twin-seater into an electronic jammer given that other Chinese warplanes, such as the JH-7 “Flying Leopard”, had been equipped with electronic warfare pods.
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“We can imagine that the front-seat pilot in the twin-seat J-20 is in charge of flying, and the rear-seat pilot is responsible for jamming. This stealth, high-speed fifth-generation tactical jamming platform will become a nightmare for the enemy’s electronic equipment,” the article said.

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