A video reportedly shows the Chinese J-20 stealth fighter jet in so-called “beast mode,” a weapons configuration in which the aircraft carries missiles under its wings.

The Chinese Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Why It Matters

Stealth aircraft utilize low observable (stealth) technology to make themselves less visible to radar detection and can carry missiles and bombs in internal weapons bays to maintain their stealth for survivability.

Stealth aircraft can shift to “beast mode” from “low observable mode” to operate in less contested environments where employment of ordnance is prioritized over maximizing their stealth, carrying weapons externally like more conventional aircraft.

What To Know

A video posted on Chinese social media Xiaohongshu, known as RedNote in English, seems to show a J-20 jet, China’s first radar-evading combat aircraft, flying with two pairs of missiles under each of its two wings.

The unverified video, which has been shared elsewhere on social media, was taken during the Chinese National Day holiday in October last year, the Chinese netizen who uploaded the footage said in the video’s comment section.

The aircraft seems to be carrying PL-15 medium-to-long-range air-to-air missiles, which can shoot down targets as far as 124 miles away, specialist outlet The War Zone reported. Each J-20 aircraft is already capable of carrying four PL-15 missiles in its internal weapons bay.

It is not clear whether the J-20’s “beast mode” is still being tested or is already being used in daily operations. In addition to PL-15 missiles, the aircraft can carry two PL-10 short-range air-to-air missiles, which are stored internally via two side weapons bays.

While carrying missiles externally sacrifices some of the aircraft’s stealth characteristics, “beast mode” provides a significant advantage in aerial combat as it increases the aircraft’s “magazine depth” by allowing it to carry more weapons, The War Zone explained.

In its latest Chinese military power report, the Pentagon said the Chinese air force will upgrade the J-20 aircraft by increasing the number of air-to-air missiles it can carry in “low observable mode,” meaning the additional missiles will be stored in weapons bays.

What People Are Saying

The Pentagon’s Chinese military power report reads: “The [People’s Liberation Army Air Force] is preparing upgrades for the J-20, which may include increasing the number of [air-to-air missiles] the fighter can carry in its low-observable configuration.”

Specialist outlet The War Zone wrote: “[It] would be expected that a stealthy flight of J-20s (with all-internal missiles) would work in concert with a flight of J-20s in ‘beast mode.’ With the stealthy flight operating ahead, they would then call on the more heavily armed jets behind them as a force-multiplier, thereby overcoming their limited air-to-air missile carriage capability.”

What Happens Next

It remains to be seen whether the armed-to-the-teeth “beast mode” will be employed on other Chinese stealth jets that are yet to enter service. Last November, China unveiled two new stealth combat aircraft, including the J-20S, which is a twin-seat variant of the J-20.