The Chengdu J-20 "stealth" fighter, two of which did safe aerobatic maneuvers at the ongoing Zhuhai Air Show, did nothing much to change the overall perception it doesn't stand a chance in an air-to-air fight against the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

Too big, too slow and too loud, the J-20 looked every bit like a low observable (LO) jet rather than a true stealth jet fighter.

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Military analysts from the west noted the Chinese put both J-20s flown by the Bayi Aerobatic Team through relatively safe maneuvers that lasted for less than one minute. After a very loud low level pass, both jets executed a series of gentle turns before flying away.

Nothing revealed by the J-20s at Zhuhai dispelled the notion this aircraft isn't quite the equal of the F-35 the Chinese claim it to be.

"When I hear about F-35 vs. J-20, it's almost an irrelevant comparison," said U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein last August, and his observation seems to remain valid given what observers saw at Zhuhai today.

Gen. Goldfein argues the J-20 employs technology akin to that of the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk single-seat, twin-engine stealth attack jet introduced into Air Force service in 1983 and retired in 2008.

This plane has since been succeeded by the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and the F-35, whose technologies are leaps and bounds ahead of the F-117.

As it is, the brand new J-20 remains a standalone weapon bereft of all the advantages of a networked platform. It entered into low rate production a few months ago and fewer than a dozen have left the production line.

On the other hand, the F-35 integrates with other U.S .weapons and systems to give it the technological advantage in a contested battlespace, said Gen. Goldstein.

"I think we learned very little. We learned it is very loud. But we can't tell what type of engine it has, or very much about the mobility," said Greg Waldron, Asia Managing Editor of FlightGlobal. "Most importantly, we didn't learn much about its radar cross-section."

This unanswered question goes to the heart of a debate as to whether the J-20 is a real stealth aircraft or is simply a low observable plane with a few stealth features concentrated along its front end. If the J-20 is merely a LO jet, it's survival in combat against the truly stealthy F-35 is very much in doubt.

The key question as to whether the J-20 can match the radar-evading properties of the F-35 and F-22 also remains unanswered.

"The J -20 aircraft is China's own new generation stealth fighter, developed to meet the needs of the future battleground," said Sr. Col. Shen Jinke, spokesman of the People's Liberation Army Air Force last week.

"Research and development are progressing as planned. The aircraft will further enhance the overall combat capability of the Air Force, which would help the army's sacred mission of maintaining the national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity."

TagsChengdu J-20, stealth fighter, Zhuhai Air Show, Gen. David Goldfein, Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II