CHINA’S largest air show opened in Zhuhai yesterday with a grand display of its aircraft and an aerobatics performance. The Bayi aerobatics team, a unit of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force that flies J-10 fighters, took off shortly after 10 a.m. in Zhuhai, Guangdong, where the Airshow China 2024 is being held until Sunday. The event also featured performances with China’s 45-meter-long YY-20 jet refueler and its Red Falcon team, which operates the Hongdu JL-8 fighter aircraft. The highlights of the show include the J-35A stealth fighter, the HQ-19 surface-to-air missile weapon system, a new type of attack-reconnaissance drone, and J-15T carrier-based fighter jets. The flying teams are scheduled to perform each day of the show. The medium-sized J-35A stealth fighter, a land-based version of the J-35 fifth-generation fighter, is considered a competitor to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 of the U.S. The fighter also has an aircraft carrier version. Making its debut at the airshow, the J-35A briefly flew during the opening ceremony, soaring into the sky. According to a Xinhua report, China’s Navy Marine Corps will also make its inaugural appearance at the airshow, performing demonstrations of the Z-20J carrier-based helicopter and Z-8C transport helicopter. Commercial craft like China's domestically produced C919 airliner are also featured in the show. Its manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC), revealed at the event that it’s rebranding its regional jet, the ARJ21, to the C909 in a marketing move to increase name recognition among Western competitors like the Boeing 737.(SD-Agencies) | 