The J-20 stealth fighter jet, Y-20 large transport plane, Z-20 utility helicopter, FC-31 stealth fighter jet and GJ-11 stealth armed reconnaissance drone feature in the poster for AVIC's 2021 work conference. Photo: Screenshot from AVIC's Sina Weibo account

China's FC-31 stealth fighter jet and GJ-11 stealth armed reconnaissance drone have again attracted enthusiasm among Chinese netizens after being featured in a new poster for a state-owned defense company.

The poster, released with reports on the 2021 work conference of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) on Wednesday in Beijing, featured five of the company's key products, namely the J-20 stealth fighter jet, Y-20 large transport plane, Z-20 utility helicopter, FC-31 stealth fighter jet and GJ-11 stealth armed reconnaissance drone.

While the three entries to the "20" series have already entered service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and have been widely seen in media reports, the other two warplanes have garnered particular attention among netizens, who expressed enthusiasm by commenting under AVIC's Sina Weibo post.

As China's second stealth fighter jet, the FC-31 is the only one in the poster not yet in PLA service, but it has been improved over the past few years and analysts predict it could become China's next-generation carrier-based fighter jet, reports said previously.

Having made its public debut at the National Day military parade on October 1, 2019 in Beijing, the GJ-11 has not been featured in official reports since then. 

Netizens are also eager to see the alleged in-development H-20 stealth bomber, which is not featured in the poster, but has been hinted at by official sources in recent weeks.

The AVIC statement released with the poster introducing its 2021 work conference did not offer any details of progress in its warplane programs. But regarding civilian purposes, the statement said the company plans to finish development of new planes and deliver 500 aircraft in 2021.

Global Times