03:24
China's most cutting-edge military equipment and aircraft have been dazzling onlookers at Airshow China 2018. From fighter jets and space rockets, to tanks and drones, there's something for everyone. CGTN reporter Ge Yunfei takes us on a tour of the airshow.
Nearly all of China's best and state-of-the-art aviation and military equipment are at the Airshow China 2018. There are the big guys, the little ones, the most agile, the heaviest, the unmanned and the fastest.
GE YUNFEI ZHUHAI "Two years ago at the airshow, the debut of China's J20 stealth fighter made worldwide headlines. But this year, what will be the shining star?"
AUDIENCES "It's the J-10B with the new engine."
"J-10B demonstrator jet's performance with the vector engine."
"J-10B with the new vector engine."
GE YUNFEI ZHUHAI "Right behind me is the Chinese Air Force's J-10B, a third-generation fighter jet. This year, a J-10B fighter powered by China's latest thrust-vectoring engine wowed the tens of thousands of audiences here. A Thrust vectoring engine, what is that? Take a look at this."
The J-10B fighter performed a stunt called Pugachev's Cobra, a dramatic and demanding maneuver in which an airplane flying at a moderate speed suddenly raises its nose momentarily to slightly beyond the vertical position before dropping to a normal horizontal flight.
LEI QIANG CHIEF TEST PILOT OF J-10 FIGHTER "If I had to grade the performance of the engine, I would give it 100 out of 100."
GE YUNFEI ZHUHAI "But when talking about China's aviation development, the lack of a good home-grown engine has always been seen as a weakness, especially falling short of demand in terms of China's fourth-generation fighter jets."
LEI QIANG CHIEF TEST PILOT OF J-10 FIGHTER "Now with the J-10B powered by the thrust vector engine, we can see that the development of the Chinese-made aviation engine is really good."
GE YUNFEI ZHUHAI "And the airshow is not only about planes, but also about aerospace. This is the whole series of China's Long March rockets."
According to the authorities, the Long March 9 can carry a payload up to 140 tons to low-earth orbit, 5 times that of China's current biggest Long March-5 rocket. It will make its maiden flight in 10 years.
GE YUNFEI ZHUHAI "For more common people, something that could be a lifestyle changer down the road is this two-seat passenger drone."
The drone made a test flight in Qatar, showing the future of the flying taxi.
From military drones to industrial and commercial ones, China showed off all of its best drones at Airshow China 2018.
AUDIENCE "This year's airshow has many more home-grown drones of different types, models and functions than before. Only a few countries in the world can do this. I can feel this explosive growth and I'm proud of it."
GE YUNFEI ZHUHAI "Yes, explosive growth. Ten years ago, nobody could have imagined China would have the ability to showcase so many technological achievements here. But now, wandering around at the airshow, you can feel the excitement of the audience and their confidence in the future. Ge Yunfei, CGTN, Zhuhai."