China Military Shows Feminine Side with Flight Display

China showed off the feminine side of its military build-up on Tuesday, as two women fighter pilots showed their skills as part of an aerobatic display in J-10 jets.

The pair strode to their fighter planes in lock-step with male pilots, all wearing identical green jumpsuits and sunglasses, as part of a performance by the Chinese air force's "August 1st" aerobatic team at the country's premier airshow.

The two are part of a larger group of female fighter pilots, who have not been identified by name, flying for the aerobatic team named for the date of the founding of the army.

The five women all have more than 750 hours of flying time in four types of aircraft, state media has reported.

Chinese defense companies and the People's Liberation Army's air force are putting the latest weaponry on parade at the Zhuhai airshow this week, including the new J-31 stealth fighter and its biggest ever military transport plane.

At the last show in 2012, exhibitors displayed only a model of the next-generation fighter J-31. 

China has steadily increased its defense budget for years with funding projected to rise more than 12 percent to $132 billion in 2014, but the United States has accused Beijing of under-reporting its spending by as much as 20 percent in the past.

The spending rises have spooked some of China's Asian neighbors, including Japan, which has a long-running territorial dispute with Beijing over islands in the East China Sea.

The Chinese group is performing alongside the Russian air force "Knights" aerobatic team flying SU-27 fighters, as well as the United Arab Emirates air force performance team.

A Russian SU-35 fighter, also on display at the show, has drawn admiring crowds eager to see the super-maneuverable plane.

But South Korea's "Black Eagles" cancelled an appearance under pressure from the United States over their sensitive use of the T-50, a supersonic aircraft jointly developed by Korea Aerospace Industries and U.S. defense firm Lockheed Martin.

Instead, organizers have placed a large photo of the T-50 on a board, so visitors can pretend to take the stick in the cut-out and pose for photos.

"Its feels good, but it's not the same as sitting in the real plane," one said.