A squadron of six Chinese Chengdu J-10 jets took off towards an overcast sky in front of thousands of spectators at an airfield in southern China’s coastal city of Zhuhai in mid-November.
Flying low in a close V-shaped formation, the jets circled back and as they approached a cluster of buildings near the spectators, trails of red, blue, yellow and white smoke suddenly poured from each plane, bringing a cheer from onlookers that was almost as loud as the roar from the warplanes’ engines.
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Seconds later, the J-10s broke their close formation to show off a series of even more impressive acrobatic manoeuvres.
But the aerial show by the seasoned pilots was far from the only demonstration of prowess at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, better known as Airshow China or the Zhuhai Airshow, which is held biennially and named after the city in southern China where it is held.
A wide array of new equipment and aircraft available to the Chinese military – known as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) – was unveiled for the first time at the airshow, held from November 12 to 17. This included an updated version of the Harbin Z-20 helicopter and the long-awaited J-35A stealth fighter while the newest Russian stealth warplane, the Su-57, also took to the skies over Zhuhai in its first appearance outside Russia.
According to Chinese state media, the event attracted nearly 600,000 visitors and resulted in deals worth $38.7bn.
Aside from the business aspect, the airshow serves a clear purpose of showcasing China’s advances in aviation, said Peter Layton, defence and aviation expert at the Griffith Asia Institute in Australia. “It is about demonstrating the sophistication and scale of PLA airpower,” he told Al Jazeera.
a’s innovation in airpower, Layton did not look to the acrobatic feats of the J-10s or even the unveiling of the new stealthy J-35A.
“People like fast jets, loud noise and daring pilots, and the J-35 was the big news announced, but this is actually old news, having been a very long time in development,” he said.
Instead, Layton looked for advancements in aviation software and drone technology which will define the future of aerial combat.
AI, drones to dominate the skies of the future
For the next generation of fighter aircraft, military developers and researchers across the world are working on providing pilots with enhanced weapons systems and stealth capabilities that can be comprehensively integrated with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.
Experts predict the use of AI will especially boost the data processing of a fighter jet, which will greatly improve a pilot’s overview of the battlespace in which they are operating. Whoever is able to carry out the integration of AI and piloting skills most effectively will be in a strong position to dominate the skies.
