China Mocks New US Fighter Jet, But Could Be Fooled by Area 51 Footage

Chinese state media and social media platforms are ridiculing the United States' new sixth-generation fighter jet, the F-47. The criticism centers on the jet's alleged use of canards, forward control surfaces that Chinese analysts claim are a direct copy of a feature found on their own J-20 "Mighty Dragon" fifth-generation fighter. This technological "borrowing" is presented by Chinese outlets like the "Global Times" and CCTV as evidence of American stagnation, contrasting it with their own advanced J-36 and J-50 sixth-generation designs, which reportedly lack canards.

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The F-47 fits into stealth trends (no vertical stabilizer, flat nose, lifting body), but questioned the use of canards as a typical element of older designs.

The recent release of a thermal image showing an unidentified, tailless aircraft near Nevada's Area 51 has fueled this narrative. Chinese commentators have seized upon the grainy footage, interpreting the visible canards as further proof of American reliance on Chinese innovation. They dismiss the possibility that the aircraft might be an older demonstrator for the NGAD program, which is not expected to fly until 2028, as irrelevant to their claims.

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The irony is that Western analysts were the first to treat the canards on Chinese machines with condescension, mocking them.

This situation represents a reversal of previous Western assessments. Initially, Western analysts had dismissed canards on Chinese aircraft like the J-20, viewing them as detrimental to stealth capabilities. However, as the F-47's design, or at least its perceived design, emerged, the roles have seemingly flipped. Yet, a crucial detail may be lost in the Chinese mockery: the U.S. Air Force has acknowledged that official graphics of the F-47 were deliberately altered to deceive adversaries, particularly China. It is possible that the "copied" features and the aircraft in the thermal image are part of a sophisticated disinformation campaign, designed to provoke ridicule and misdirection while the true capabilities of the American sixth-generation fighter remain concealed.

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The official graphics of the F-47 were, as representatives of the US Air Force admit, deliberately distorted to mislead enemy analysts (mainly the Chinese).