China moves up its development plan for a sixth-generation stealth plane fighter after the country finishes developing its fifth-generation J-31 and J-20, said Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade head Igor Korotchenko, according to the Russian government's global radio broadcasting service Voice of Russia.
Designs and plans for a sixth-generation fighter was first made by the United States, with several concept arts already unveiled by American aerospace firms Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
According to an official statement by the U.S. Navy, the EA-18G Growler and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets will be replaced by a sixth-generation fighter dubbed as "FAXX" by 2030.
A budget for the FAXX's development in 2015 was already established by the U.S. Department of Defense, according to a source inside the U.S. military.
Meanwhile, Russia is already working on its own next-gen fighter planes, according to Foundation for Advanced Military Research head Andrei Grigoryev.
However, according to Korotchenko, China actually takes the "second place" in the next-gen fighter development race as a research team was already set up in Shenyang in China's northeast.
Korotchenko said that only China has the resources and the manpower capable of designing not one, but two types of fifth-generation stealth fighters within a short span of time. With the experience from developing the two fifth-gen fighters, the country definitely has the capability to push through and finish its sixth-generation development program.
He also added that the country's next-gen stealth fighter might be an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
Many believe that "sixth-generation" fighters should be fitted with a railgun or a laser.