China launched its first stealth fighter jet Wednesday, reports and photos leaked to the state media show. The Defense Ministry did not comment, The Daily Telegraph said, but China Global Times reported on the test track in the J-20 fighter at the Institute of Aircraft Design Chengdu in southwestern China.
The photos also appeared in military unofficial Web sites and blogs, and were not censored.
Deputy Chief of Air Force Weirong He told state television in November 2009 that "fourth generation" of China's combat, a reference to stealth technology, to begin testing soon and could enter service in eight years.
Photos leaked on the Internet that appear to show a prototype of the first fighter jet stealth China were discussed in state media Wednesday - a move that supports the claims of national military aviation program is moving faster than expected.
English language editions of the Global Chinese Times and articles published front-page photos of what appears to be a future J-20 fighter, along with extensive reports on rumors of the images were generated abroad.
Photos of the aircraft appeared in unofficial military websites and blogs amateur news last week and still visible Wednesday.
The Global Times did not comment on the authenticity of the photos, but since the government exercises extensive control over state media, the appearance of the report and the fact that the censors have removed images of web sites suggest a move calculated to filter the information in the public sphere.
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