China to show new weapons, stealth fighter jet at biennial air show

Elizabeth Shim

China is expected to display more than 900 weapons at a biennial airshow in the southern city of Zhuhai. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI

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China is kicking off its biennial Airshow China expo on Tuesday in the southern city of Zhuhai, and several Chinese-made weapons are expected to be on sale for interested clientele from Asia and Africa.

The large exhibition is to feature more than 700 companies representing 42 countries and regions. More than half, or 400, of the exhibitors are from China, the South China Morning Post reported on Monday.

The Chinese air force is expected to feature 18 types of military aircraft and 110 weapons. About half of the weapons on display are being shown to the public for the first time, including proprietary stealth fighter "Jian J-20," according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.

The J-20 is capable of flying long distances while receiving air refueling, and can fire long-range cruise missiles, according to the report. The fighter jets are to be deployed in 2017, or by the end of 2016.

China's next-generation drone Caihong-5 may also draw crowds of potential buyers. The unmanned aerial vehicle developed by a state-owned enterprise has a gross takeoff weight of 3.3 tons, and can fly nonstop for 48 hours across a distance of more than 4,000 miles.

Chinese weapons are cheaper than other products from the United States or Russia, but Chinese manufacturers face challenges finding buyers.

According to Andrei Chang of Kanwa Asian Defense magazine, one of China's Harbin Z-9 attack helicopters crashed in Cameroon, and the Cameroonian government has said it does not plan to buy more Chinese weapons due to the quality of the products.

Chinese-made C-705 anti-ship missiles also failed to hit targets during an Indonesian exercise in 2016, where Indonesian President Joko Widodo was in attendance.

"Military sales come with important maintenance and training services and China has still a way to go in this regard," said Jonathan Holslag, head of research at the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies.