US Marines Corps reveals it owns the full scale replica of a Chinese stealth fighter that was pictured at a Georgia airbase
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6478933/US-Air-Force-reveals-owns-scale-replica-cutting-edge-Chinese-stealth-fighter.html10 December 2018
The US Marine Corps has confirmed that a mysterious jet spotted at one of its airbases is a replica of a cutting edge Chinese stealth fighter.
The aircraft, that is virtually identical to the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon, was pictured at Savannah-Hilton Head Airport, Georgia, last Wednesday.
The photograph was shared online sparking speculation that a Chinese pilot had defected with the jet or that it was a prop for the latest Top Gun movie.
Now, however, the United States Marine Corps has told the Aviationist that it is a full scale mock used for training....
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USAF Confirms: The Chinese J-20 Spotted In Georgia Is a Mock-Up Used For Training by the U.S. Marine Corps
https://theaviationist.com/2018/12/09/usaf-confirms-the-chinese-j-20-spotted-in-georgia-is-a-mock-up-used-for-training-by-the-u-s-marine-corps/The U.S. Air Force has officially confirmed to TheAviationist.com that the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon photographed at a military facility inside Savannah-Hilton Head Airport, Georgia, US, on Wednesday, Dec. 5, is a training mock-up for use by the United States Marine Corps.
“It is a full scale replica and remained at the Air Dominance Center for a short period during the week of 4-6 Dec. The USMC is funding and directing the training objectives of this device […] Col. Emmanuel Haldopoulos, Commander of the Savannah Air Dominance Center, wrote us.
The specific role of the realistic, full scale mock-up has not yet been clarified by official U. S. Marine Corps sources....
...Late last week, Chinese Defense subject matter expert Andreas Rupprecht, noted author of several authoritative reference books on the Chinese air forces, was the first to observe that the aircraft’s control surfaces had not moved while parked in a static position. He also noted that the exhaust nozzles looked inaccurate and the landing gear was different from a real Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon. These observations confirmed the aircraft was a full-scale mock-up and not a real Chengdu J-20....
