China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force staged a notable public display of the Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter at the 2025 Changchun Air Show, showing the aircraft on static exhibition for the first time and confirming production of the 300th J-20 — a milestone that underlines rapid expansion of China’s advanced combat fleet. The decision to present the J-20 as a static exhibit marks a change from prior airshow practices that typically limited the type to flybys, and the production figure reflects breadth of manufacturing throughput and growing confidence in the platform. Analysts see the two developments as signals of Beijing’s intention to normalize the J-20 as a front-line asset and to visibly demonstrate scale to regional observers. Moreover, social-media posts preceding the show highlighted a provocative “beast mode” loadout rumored to include a mix of PL-15 long-range missiles and PL-10 short-range missiles both internally and on external pylons — an arrangement that would trade some stealth for a high missile carriage and could fit within doctrinal concepts where airborne early warning platforms provide targeting cues under an “A guide B shoot” approach. The PL-15, reported to deliver long-range beyond-visual-range engagement capability, has been in service for several years and has seen operational use outside China; reports during regional conflicts in 2025 confirmed first combat employment of Russian-exported versions, intensifying scrutiny of its performance. Taken together, the public static display and production milestone indicate that the J-20 is moving from niche stealth demonstrator to a mass-produced element of the PLAAF’s order of battle, shifting regional airpower calculations and potentially altering force-generation balance in East Asia. The milestone is likely to spur further attention on PLA pilot training, sensor fusion, and tactics designed to exploit the J-20’s strengths in contested airspace.
