One of the largest air shows in the world – Airshow China 2024 – opened in the Chinese city of Zhuhai amid overcast skies, humid weather and the hum of aircraft engines.
The event began with spectacular performances by a Chinese aerobatic team. They flew over the airfield, leaving behind them bright trails of coloured smoke, as it was customary. Then the latest fifth-generation fighters took to the sky – to date, only three countries have such aircraft: the United States, China and Russia.
The first to take to the skies was the J-20 heavy fighter, followed by the J-35 light fighter, designed to gain air supremacy. This event was the world premiere of this fighter.
Production of the Su-57 began relatively recently. The Russian Air Force plans to receive 76 fighters by the end of 2027, but the high rate of production expansion raises the possibility that many more than 76 aircraft will be produced by then, including a couple of dozen aircraft for export, MWM writes.
