No, China's J | j-16 fighter
ChineseairforceJ-16fightersaregettinganewpaintjobthatcanreducethetypesradarsignature.Thestate-runGlobalTimesnewspaperwronglycharacterized[1]thenewly-paintedJ-16sas"nearstealth."Thatsinaccurate.Radar-absorbingpaintcanshrinkaplanessignature,butnotnearlyenoughtoqualifytheplaneasstealthy.TheU.S.AirForce,theworldsleadingoperatorofstealthwarplanes,acknowledgesthisfact.TheUSAFfordecadeshasappliedincreasinglyradar-absorbingpainttoitsF-16fighters,buthasneverdescribedtheF-16sasstealthy.TheJ-16isanupgr...
Chinese air force J-16 fighters are getting a new paint job that can reduce the types radar signature. The state-run Global Times newspaper wrongly characterized[1] the newly-painted J-16s as "near stealth."
Thats inaccurate. Radar-absorbing paint can shrink a planes signature, but not nearly enough to qualify the plane as stealthy.
The U.S. Air Force, the worlds leading operator of stealth warplanes, acknowledges this fact. The USAF for decades has applied increasingly radar-absorbing paint to its F-16 fighters, but has never described the F-16s as stealthy.
The J-16 is an upgraded version of the older J-11 fighter that China copied from the Russian Su-27. In early 2019 the the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force possessed around 50 of the twin-engine, twin-tail fighters. More are in production.
The J-16 is a bridge between Chinas older fighters and its newer J-20 and J-31 stealth fighters. "These two new-generation jets would be too expensive to mass pro...