The J-35A stealth fighter-bomber was presented yesterday with an aerial demonstration at the opening of the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai. A similar model of an embarked version of the J-35 was put on display among the stands of the largest biennial show in Asia, dedicated to military aviation.
While details on the J-35’s performance are limited, analysts said its launch marks a critical step in China’s efforts to modernize its military and challenge U.S. dominance in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly around Taiwan, of which Beijing claims sovereignty.
With the launch of the J-35, China joins the United States as the only country capable of producing multiple series of stealth fighter-bombers.
The J-35, developed over a decade by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, a unit of the state-run Aviation Industry Corporation of China, will join the J-20 stealth fighter-bomber, which entered service in 2017. The first J-35s could be ready and operational as early as March 2026. With air-to-surface and air-to-air attack capabilities and the ability to take off from aircraft carriers, the J-35 program is designed to compete with the F-35 from the Western consortium, although Beijing has not yet announced a version capable of taking off and landing vertically, like the B version of the F-35.
This year, the show also included Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57, a clear sign of the “broadening and deepening” of Sino-Russian relations.
