The Diplomat calls it the J-XD. Various demonstrator test beds (potentially subscale) have been flown, and a more stealthy, tailless flying wing/flying arrowhead airframe is considered one of the likely configurations it may adopt. The J-XD is virtually guaranteed to incorporate new generation subsystems and technologies in propulsion, sensors, computing and networking, and is likely to operate alongside future unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) or collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs).

China is following the US NGAD (Next Generation Air Dominance) fighter program.

The J-20 family is the primary PLA fifth-generation fighter family, and has seen increases in both production scale and technological upgrades in recent years. Around 200 J-20s have been produced as of the end of 2023 or early 2024.