中国歼31隐形战机现身珠海航展

China’s new stealth fighter roared out of the smog hanging over the country’s premier air show yesterday, as its makers sought to impress a gallery of overseas military officers whom Chinese defence contractors hope will one day buy the aircraft.

中国新型隐形战斗机昨日在中国头号航空展览上试飞。其制造商试图给在场的众多国外军官留下深刻印象，中国军工企业希望有朝一日他们将采购这款飞机。

Pictures of the J-31, which is still under development, have been posted on various Chinese websites and blogs by amateur enthusiasts in recent years but yesterday’s performance at the biennial Zhuhai display marked its official coming-out party.

最近几年，仍处于研发状态的“歼31”(J-31)照片被业余爱好者贴到中国网站和博客上。不过，昨天在两年一度的珠海航展上的表演是其首次正式亮相。

“It is our dream to break the monopoly that foreign countries have on new-generation jet fighters,” Li Yuhai, deputy general manager at Aviation Industry Corporation of China, told reporters at the show. “The J-31 will also be a flagship product for us in the international arms market.”

中国航空工业集团公司(Aviation Industry Corporation of China)副总经理李玉海在航展上告诉记者：“打破外国在新一代喷气式战斗机上的垄断是我们的梦想。‘歼31’还将成为我们在国际军火市场上的旗舰产品。”

Analysts say that the J-31 will ultimately be marketed to militaries that are not able to buy the Pentagon’s F-35 fighter.

分析人士表示，“歼31”最终将以那些无法购买美国F-35战斗机的军队为营销目标。