BEIJING - China's Su-35 fighter jets for a joint combat patrol mission in the South China Sea area and its latest J-20 stealth fighters' commission in combat service will maintain airspace safety in the new era, a military expert said Saturday.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force announced on Wednesday that China has recently sent Su-35 fighter jets for a joint combat patrol mission in the South China Sea area.

The deployment is expected to improve the air force's adaptive capacity in complicated situation in the air and on the sea, and enhance its ability to maintain national sovereignty and security and maritime interests in the South China Sea area, said Wang Mingzhi, a professor with the PLA Air Force Command Academy.