China Equips New Aviation Brigade With 300th J-20 Fighter Jet

Chinese spotters have identified the 300th J-20 fighter jet, assigned to the 19th Aviation Brigade of the PLA Air Force Central Command.

Military observer 太湖军I名 published the photo of the aircraft on Weibo.

The J-20, bearing serial number “CB10300,” was seen during training flights from Zhangjiakou Air Base, home to the 19th Aviation Brigade.

Chinese military aircraft serials consist of the production batch (first two digits) and the overall aircraft number (three to four digits). This number indicates that the jet is part of the 10th production batch and is the 300th J-20 to be produced.

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the total number of J-20 fighter jets may already exceed 350, based on serial numbers confirmed from publicly available photos.

The jet also carried markings “63x0x,” confirming that the 19th Aviation Brigade has been reequipped with J-20s, making it the 13th brigade armed with this fighter.

Other brigades flying the J-20 in various versions include the 1st (Anshan), 4th (Foshan), 5th (Guilin), 8th (Changxing), 9th (Wuhu), 19th (Zhangjiakou), 41st (Wuishan), 54th (Ningxiang), 55th (Jining), 56th (Zhengzhou), 97th (Dazu), 111th (Korla), 172nd (Cangzhou), and 176th (Dingxing).

The International Institute for Strategic Studies notes that China has significantly expanded its air power in the Asia-Pacific over the past decade, producing more than 200 J-20s by 2023.

According to official PLA Air Force statements, J-20s are actively replacing older fighter jets. Reports of the 19th Aviation Brigade’s rearmament began in August 2024, but no official photos were released until recently.

Production of the J-20 began in 2014, with the first combat aircraft delivered in January 2016.

Open sources describe the J-20 as a fifth-generation fighter jet equipped with an active phased array radar, an integrated electro-optical system with laser targeting for precision bombs, and internal weapons bays.

It can carry up to four PL-15 air-to-air missiles with active radar seekers in its main bays, while PL-10E infrared-guided missiles can be mounted in side bays.

There is no confirmed evidence that the J-20 can carry bombs, though Chinese experts have suggested it has that capability.

Militarnyi previously reported that an unidentified unmanned combat aircraft was seen flying over Chengdu alongside a J-20 fighter jet.