China Stealth Fighters Head to Air Base Near India's Border as Standoff Enters Fourth Month

A pair of Chinese stealth fighters have arrived at an air base near India's border as the standoff between the two countries over disputed land enters its fourth month.

Two J-20 stealth fighters from China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) appeared in commercial satellite imagery at the Hotan air base, according to evidence first captured by Chinese social media users.

The move is the latest this summer as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate over the disputed Himalayan region of Ladakh. The Indian-controlled territory runs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a loose demarcation line created by diplomats after the 1962 Sino-Indian War. The line separates Ladakh from a Chinese-controlled territory, the Tibet Autonomous Region, and is part of the ongoing Sino-Indian border dispute.

Chinese and Indian military forces clashed in Ladakh's Galwan Valley on June 15, leaving 20 Indian troops dead and a number of Chinese casualties. While hardly the first sign of tension seen at the LAC, the fighting marked the first time soldiers were killed over the border dispute since 1967.

The controversial territory, about 14,000 feet above sea level in the Himalayas, is virtually uninhabited. Soldiers from both countries are not allowed to carry guns in the area, which has resulted in battles fought by hand-to-hand combat, The New York Times reported.

Hotan is just 200 miles from Ladakh, suggesting that the PLAAF could be gearing up for another fight over which country will have air superiority over the region.

In late July, the Indian Air Force sent five of its new, French-made Rafale fighter jets to the Ambala Air Force Station, located about 550 miles from Ladakh. Former Indian Air Force Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa touted the Rafale's strength, asserting that China's J-20 stealth fighter would be no match.

"As I have said in the past, Rafale is a game changer," Dhanoa told the Hindustan Times.

A Chinese military expert responded to India's claims, telling China's state-owned Global Times that the J-20 is "far superior to the Rafale."

"Thanks to its AESA radar, advanced weapons and limited stealth technologies, the Rafale is comparable to other third-plus-generation fighter jets used by other countries, but it will find it very difficult to confront a stealth-capable fourth-generation fighter jet," Zhang Xuefeng told the Global Times.

The National Interest reported that the Rafale is not a true stealth fighter. And while the J-20 has some similarities to the U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor, an all-weather stealth fighter, it lacks high maneuverability.

Newsweek contacted India's Department of Defense and the Chinese People's Liberation Army for comments but did not hear back in time for publication.