As China continues its rise to superpower stature, Beijing is trying to rapidly increase its firepower.
China's attempts to seriously upgrade its military — with next-generation fighter jets, ballistic missiles, and advanced naval vessels — is partly aimed at keeping pace with the US.
The two are in a veritable arms race in east Asia. The US engaged in a "pivot to Asia," focusing military and diplomatic attention on an increasingly important part of the world.
Meanwhile, China is trying to expand its territorial reach into the South China Sea, an effort that's already bringing Beijing into conflict with US allies like Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
And China is constantly building its military with a possible invasion of Taiwan in mind.
Already, China has become the world's second-largest military spender, right behind the US. Since 1995, China has increased its defense budget by 500% in real terms.
Although China's military has a ways to go before it is qualitatively, or even quantitatively, a match for the US, the country's rise has been notable, and counts as one of the major geo-strategic developments of this decade.
Chengdu J-20
The Chengdu J-20 is China's fifth-generation fighter, its response to the US F-35 and the Russian T-50. The J-20 is a stealth aircraft that is currently in its fourth round of prototypes.
The J-20 bears striking resemblance to the F-35 and the F-22, likely due to data theft and Chinese imitation of the skeletons of both planes. China may have the design specifications needed to give the J-20 stealth capabilities that are on par with the F-35.
Although the plane is estimated to have a striking range of 1,000 nautical miles, the aircraft itself is still reliant upon Russian engines and in a relatively early stage of its development.
Shenyang J-31
The Shenyang J-31 is the other fifth-generation aircraft that China is currently developing.
Unlike the J-20, which is heavily based on stolen American plans, the J-31 boasts an indigenous design. The plane is about the same size as the F-35, but has a smaller weapons bay — giving the J-31 improved fuel efficiency and speed.
The J-31 is also designed to be deployable to China's planned fleet of aircraft carriers. It would join the F-35 as the only two carrier-based stealth fighters in the world.
The J-31 is scheduled to make its public debut at China's largest commercial and defense airshow in Zhuhai in early November.
Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark
The Shenyang J-15 is a carrier-based fighter aircraft that debuted in 2009. In a 2014 report to Congress, the Pentagon noted that the Fying Shark was conducting full-stops and takeoffs from China's Liaoning aircraft carrier with full weapons payloads.
When based on the ground, the J-15 should have a combat radius of about 1,200 kilometers. However, since the Liaoning does not provide a useful catapult launch, the aircraft will have a reduced combat radius while operating at sea, the Pentagon reported.
The Chinese-produced J-15 is based on designs of the Russian Sukhoi Su-33. The plane is a Russian-type design fitted with Chinese radar, engines, and weapons.
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