China’s newest stealth jet was finally unveiled at the Zhuhai air show this week. The Shenyang J-35 is a two-engined, mid-sized fighter that is China’s second fifth-generation fighter jet after the Chengdu J-20.
What else do we know? Well, not a lot. As a highly secret military program, much of what has been believed about the J-35 until now in the West has been speculative at best, and virtually all details that cannot be confirmed through visual inspection of the aircraft are indeed still unconfirmed.
This article predominantly draws on Chinese state media reporting on the J-35. Needless to say, there is the risk that what is printed there is deliberately disinformative, but it is also a fair way to get on the record information rather than informed speculation.
The J-35 was first seen in 2012 as a different aircraft, the FC-31 Gyrfalcon (鶻鷹). That was supposedly developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation as a private project, but it was immediately speculated by Western observers that the FC-31, being smaller than the J-20, was more suitable for development into a carrier-based fifth-generation fighter.
Observers also noticed that the FC-31 looked very similar to the American F-35, except with two engines instead of one. Internet users started referring to it as the J-35 (all Chinese fighters use the J- designation, 殲 jian means annihilate). This is now confirmed to be the official name.
We have confirmation through Global Times that the J-35 will be a carrier-based fighter. However, what is somewhat surprising is that the version of the J-35 that flew at Zhuhai, the J-35A, is a land-based variant that would be operated by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.
Quoted in a China Daily piece, PLAAF veteran and “aircraft expert” Fu Qianshao (傅前哨) said that the J-35A will be cheaper than the J-20, with the implication that this will allow the air force to procure it in greater numbers. He also implied that the J-35A achieves this lower cost by being less capable.
Xinhua says the J-20 is “a heavy stealth fighter designed mainly for air superiority,” while “the J-35A is a medium-sized multi-role stealth fighter capable of both air superiority and strike missions against ground and maritime targets.”
Readers will notice that this framing of the relationship between the J-20 and the J-35A, in role, size, cost and numbers, strongly parallels the relationship between the F-22 and F-35A in the U.S. Air Force. Make of that what you will.
There is some conflicting information, however. The Global Times interviewed Wang Yongqing (王永慶) , “chief expert” at Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute, which built the J-35A. He says that the mission of the new fighter is to “gain and maintain air superiority, eliminate hostile fourth/fifth generation fighter jets and ground/surface air defense forces, as well as intercept aerial hostile targets including fighters, bombers and cruise missiles.” While this does include ground attack, the conception of it seems narrower than that reported by Xinhua.
Apart from stealth, Wang also listed “informatization, network integration, and intelligence capabilities” as the J-35A’s key attributes. Xinhua quotes PLA Air Force officer Li Lanxing (李蘭星) as saying the plane has “excellent handling and user-friendly human-machine interaction.” Taken at face value, it indicates that the J-35A will have the kind of sensor fusion that allows the F-35 to provide allround real-time information to both the pilot and any allied forces.
Andreas Rupprecht, who has quite literally written the book(s) on Chinese military aviation, spoke to Domino Theory about the new fighter. He said “we simply do not know enough” to compare it to the F-35 in terms of capabilities. He also notes that almost all fifth-generation fighters share a “similar configuration” to the F-35, and thus does not consider that the J-35 is a copy.
Rupprecht said that how the J-35A evolves into a carrier version is “the biggest question,” although he points out that it was only 14 months ago we found out there would be this land-based variant. He suggested the J-35 carrier variant could be tested and trialed before the Fujian, China’s newest aircraft carrier, is commissioned. The Chinese navy apparently want the “more capable” WS-19 engine, which is not yet ready.
The Fujian is equipped with catapults, allowing it to launch jets without “short take-off and landing” capabilities. The J-35 carrier variant would thus be comparable to the F-35C and not F-35B. It is known however that a J-35 variant has launched from the Liaoning, China’s first carrier, in test flights. The Liaoning lacks catapults and planes must launch under their own power, limiting their fuel and weapons load.
The J-35A may offer, for the first time, international customers a chance to purchase a fifth-generation fighter jet which is not the F-35. Rupprecht told Domino Theory that this “opens new opportunities” for China, but that because the P.R.C. does not have a “well established after-sales support structure,” potential customers may still be reluctant.
This question of who if anyone buys the J-35A will obviously be of particular interest to the U.S. and its allies. If it can attract new customers who haven’t previously purchased Chinese weapons this is a significant development, but such sales also expand the espionage opportunities for China’s competitors.
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