China’s Ambition to Acquire VTOL Aircraft

Military personnel prepare to cover a Chengdu Aircraft Corporation J-10C for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), a day before the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, China, on Sept. 27, 2021. Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

The Chinese military’s ambition to acquire and build vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) combat aircraft dates back to the early 1970s. After 40 years of espionage and indigenous development, China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) may have a fighter program to fulfill that ambition.