At present, there are only two fifth-generation twin-engine heavy stealth fighters in the real sense of the world, one is the American F-22 "Raptor", and the other is China's J-20 "Weilong". For example, Israel, a staunch ally of the United States, has offered to buy the F-22, but the United States has refused. There was also news from Pakistan that it would purchase China's J-20, but it failed to do so.
Recently, the American media "National Interest" has created an article out of nothing, writing that China's J-20 will soon be sold to the Middle East. The article said that the UAE because it could not obtain the United States F-35 fighter jets, unable to compete with the Israeli F-35I fleet, so there is a strong interest in China's J-20, given the UAE's close relationship with China, and the successful purchase of China's L-15 "Falcon" advanced trainer aircraft, it is not ruled out that in the near future, the UAE will appear in the sky over the J-20 fighter.
The arguments of the US media seem to be reasonable, but in fact they are completely conjecture, at least, in recent years, the J-20 will not be sold to the Middle East.
I still remember that before, China's 052D missile destroyer went to the United Arab Emirates to participate in the arms exhibition, which caused a sensation among 10,000 people, and it was reported that Saudi Arabia, a local tyrant in the Middle East, would purchase 12 052DE missile destroyers, and Algeria, another Middle Eastern country, would also purchase 6. However, the fact is that the Saudis did not buy the 052D, but the Spanish frigates.
The same is true of the J-20 fighter, the tyrant countries in the Middle East will not buy it, and China will not sell it.
First of all, for China, the J-20 represents the highest level of domestic fighters, and once sold, it is very likely to lead to the leakage of fighter data, and these leaked data will most likely be controlled by the Americans. You must know that although Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries have a good relationship with China, in essence, they are still allies of the United States. Everyone knows what the leakage of fighter data means to the Air Force, and when Belenko defected to Japan in a MiG-25, it caused huge losses to the air defense forces of the former Soviet Union. The Chinese Air Force cannot afford such a risk.
Secondly, the number of high-end fighters such as J-20 is very limited in a year, and it is natural to give priority to meeting the requirements of the Chinese Air Force itself, and now the pressure on the Chinese Air Force is not easy, and the surrounding American bases, Japan, and South Korea are equipped with a total of hundreds of F-22 and F-35, in this case, it is natural that there is no export.
Third, although Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries have deep pockets, they do not dare to buy J-20 due to political pressure, because the United States will sanction them. A typical example is Indonesia, which wanted to purchase Russia's Su-35, and after the United States learned about it, it immediately put pressure, saying that if Indonesia wanted to buy Su-35, the United States would impose sanctions in various fields such as the economy, so that Indonesia was forced to abandon the Su-35 procurement plan and instead buy the more expensive American-made F-15 and the legal Rafale. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are currently very dependent on the United States, so naturally they dare not disobey the United States.
Of course, China will not sell it now, it does not mean that it will not be in 10 years, when the time comes, China's sixth-generation fighter will be born, so it is logical that the J-20 will be sold abroad.
In addition, another Chinese stealth fighter J-35 is about to make its debut, the overall performance of this stealth fighter is inferior to that of the J-20, and it is not ruled out that it will be promoted to the international arms market.