Beijing presented the new J-35A fighter jet, the second stealth fighter supplied to China’s armed forces. So far only the United States has had two operational stealth fighters, the F-22 and the F-35.
Beijing presents the new J-35A stealth fighter.
At the opening of the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, southern China on Tuesday, Beijing unveiled its latest model of stealth fighter jet in a five-minute aerial demonstration.
Its deployment makes China the only country besides the United States capable of using multiple stealth warplanes with capabilities that match the most advanced jets used by the US Air Force, according to Chinese experts quoted by state media. The J-35 will in fact join the Chinese J-20 stealth fighter, which entered service in 2017. So far only the United States has two operational stealth fighters, the F-22 and the F-35.
The highly anticipated J-35A stealth plane built to “capture and maintain air supremacy,” has been in the works for more than a decade, but experts say little is known about its capabilities, reports Reuters. This is yet another demonstration by Beijing of its determination to match American military power by investing heavily in the latest technologies.
All the details.
DEBUT FOR CHINA’S J-35A FIGHTER
The demonstration of the maiden flight of the J-35A, a “fifth generation” fighter designed to evade radar detection and attack enemy targets at supersonic speeds, was the main attraction on the opening day of the Zhuhai air show on Tuesday.
PRODUCED BY SHENYANG AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
The J-35 and J-35A are designed and built by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, a unit of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China. According to the state-controlled People’s Daily, the J-35A “primarily performs the task of gaining and maintaining air supremacy.” Both variants of the J-35 are significantly smaller than China’s other stealth aircraft, the J-20 fighter.
Chinese media noted that a Russian-designed engine used in previous versions of the J-35 had been replaced with the Chinese WS-19.
DESIGN SIMILE ALL’F-35 AMERICANO
The J-35A’s design closely resembles that of Lockheed Martin’s American F-35 fifth-generation fighter-bomber, whose shape, from fuselage to control surfaces, is designed to minimize its size on radar.
While details on the J-35’s performance are limited, analysts said its launch marked a key step in China’s efforts to modernize its military and challenge U.S. dominance in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly around to Taiwan, over which Beijing claims sovereignty.
Peter Layton, a research associate at the Royal United Services Institute think-tank, noted that the J-35 was entering service nearly 10 years after the US F-35 and that Washington was already working on next-generation aircraft. But China’s manufacturing capacity meant the J-35s could be easier and cheaper to build than their expensive U.S. equivalents, giving them an advantage in potential export markets, he said.
ANALYSTS COMMENT
Although it takes to the skies more than 10 years after the first flight of its progenitor, the J-31, there are few public details about the J-35’s performance or stealthiness, say military analysts, quoted by Reuters.
“Because of the black box that usually surrounds PLA miltech developments, we won’t be too certain of the J-35’s performance,” said Collin Koh of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, in Singapore. “PRC scientists… have conducted various STEM and advanced studies related to fighter jet technology, including stealth, over the years, so I suggest that I do not join the skeptics in discrediting the aircraft altogether,” Koh said.
“China has caught up in terms of the range of hardware they have, at least on display,” he said Financial Times James Char, associate professor and expert on the Chinese military at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. “But in terms of catching up to the Americans, most analysts would put it at least 10 to 15 years behind,” he added, noting other aspects of the military deployment such as training and operational readiness.
With air-to-surface and air-to-air strike capabilities and the ability to take off from aircraft carriers, the J-35 series is designed to match the United States’ F-35 series of stealth jets, said Ni Lexiong, a Shanghai-based analyst. But Beijing has yet to announce a version that can take off and land vertically, as the F-35B can, Ni said. Foreign military attaches and security analysts are closely watching the evolution of the J-35 variants, given their importance to Beijing’s aircraft carrier program.
