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By WENDELL MINNICK
TAIPEI — Photos of a new Chinese stealth fighter, dubbed the J-21 and/or J-31, appeared on Chinese-language military blogs this week in time for U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s trip to China.
It is unclear if the appearance of the photos was timed with Panetta’s trip, but the first photos of the Chengdu-built J-20 Black Eagle appeared the same week as former Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ visit to China in January 2011.
The new photographs show a twin-engine stealthy fighter with the number 31001 painted on its nose.
The number suggests it is the J-31 Falcon, said Richard Fisher, an Asia military affairs analyst at the Washington-based International Assessment and Strategy Center, but various Chinese-language blogs are debating the designation; with some suggesting it is the J-21 Snowy Owl built by Shenyang Aircraft Corp. (SAC).
Read the full story at DefenseNews