One of China’s Best-Kept Secrets, Revealed: This Is the New J-35A Fighter, a Rival to America's F-35

On Tuesday, China officially unveiled its new state-of-the-art fighter aircraft, the Shenyang J-35A. The fighter shows design similarities to the U.S. F-35, which had been anticipated based on earlier images. While the project has made significant progress, more developments are still needed before the aircraft can be operational.

The J-35A will make its first public appearance at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as Airshow China. The event will take place in Zhuhai in Southern China from Nov. 12 to 17. China’s Ministry of National Defense is expected to provide more information about the J-35A aircraft then.

The New Chinese Fighter Jet

The J-35A is a stealth fighter jet designed to evade tracking systems like radar. Its primary purpose is to carry out missions without being detected or intercepted. Achieving this requires careful consideration of various elements, including the aircraft’s exterior design and the materials used in its construction.

Chinese media indicate that the J-35 series is expected to be the first fighter jet utilized jointly by both the Navy and the Air Force. In the future, engineers are expected to develop a variant of the J-35 for use on aircraft carriers. They also plan to design an export version, which would allow other military forces to adopt the aircraft.

The image above shows the similarities between the J-35 (left) and the U.S. F-35 (right), the aircraft it’ll compete with. However, due to the limited details available about the project, it’s still too early to make a comprehensive comparison. For now, Chinese authorities have only released the image above.

Overall, China’s intentions to showcase its military strength are evident. One of the country’s primary goals is to match the defense capabilities of the U.S. Achieving this won’t be an easy task and will likely take years, but it appears that solid foundations are being laid, particularly with its fighter aircraft.

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force also operates another advanced fighter: the Chengdu J-20. This aircraft officially entered service in 2017, with large-scale production beginning in 2019. Research by the intelligence company OSINT Janes indicates that the operational fleet of J-20 fighters is nearing 200 units.

Image | China’s Ministry of National Defense | U.S. Air Force

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