Air chief smells rat in China’s 5G fighter plane
Speaking at the inauguration of the eighth edition of the Aero India International seminar on Monday, Air Chief Marshall PV Naik questioned the programme by asking if it was “ethical”.
Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Chief Marshall PV Naik is not a big fan of China’s fifth generation aircraft programme.
Speaking at the inauguration of the eighth edition of the Aero India International seminar on Monday, Naik questioned the programme by asking if it was “ethical”.
It is being speculated worldwide that China has developed its fifth generation J-20 aircraft through reverse engineering.
“Is reverse engineering an ethical process? Because we know of a country which recently developed a fifth generation stealth aircraft….. there is no R&D involved. So is it [the project] ethical or an illegitimate back door entry,” he questioned.
Though the air chief did not take China’s name in his speech, there were enough hints that the aircraft he was referring to was the J-20, which China recently flight-tested at its Chengdu Air base.
The J-20 is most keenly watched defence aviation programme in the world since its first flight in January as many countries and defence analysts in the west doubted China’s ability to develop such a plane.
The IAF chief also called for the development of technology at a faster rate to counter rising terrorism.