China is preparing for the unveiling of a new stealth fighter jet, The Main objective – is to increase and improve the power of the Air Force. The newly developed aircraft is to be unveiled at Zhuhai Air Show next month, which is China’s premier military power. Images of the J-35A have been unveiled in a press conference conducted for the Air Force as part of official procedures. China aims to modernize its military, seeking to become the topmost nation in Asian skies.
China is very concerned over this J-35A, as it seems developed both for air combat and for air-to-surface attacks. This would make this aircraft versatile in the armory of the Chinese Air Force. This could be China’s answer to US stealth fighters, as this country is trying to be able to keep pace with the aerial power of the US that has led for a long in this field. This can thus be seen as part of China’s larger strategic aim to level the playing field and bolster its defense capabilities as regional tensions mount.
The J-35A could soon add its name to the growing list of China’s jets if it is approved to be used for military purposes. China would then become a country with two types of stealth fighters, just as the US is with its F-22 and F-35 fighter jets. China already has another stealth fighter, the J-20, in service since 2017, further demonstrating the country’s serious commitment towards stealth technology that is naturally about flying unperceived by radar and, therefore, with very high success chances in missions wherein this feature is paramount.
Other rumors include that the J-35A may be designed as a carrier-based fighter, stretching the arm of China both in air and sea control and expanding its power projection space. According to one Chinese military analyst, this jet would greatly help to strengthen China’s sea and air combat capabilities because it would add flexibility to various military scenarios, such as fast-hit missions and reconnaissance over remote distances.
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We are aware that the Chinese military has been actively increasing the number of J-20s in its fleet over the past year. According to one of the world’s intelligence groups, Janes, over 70 more J-20s have been added by the Chinese Air Force between mid-2023 and mid-2024, increasing the number to almost 195. The rush to build such forces is probably an indicator of China’s plan to strengthen its “forward theater commands,” with more firepower being thrust into strategic areas where it wants to be more forceful.
While there is much noise made by the J-35A, information regarding the fighter is very sparse. It’s indeed hard to determine just how the fighter compares with the United States’ F-22 and F-35 fighters, both of which represent some of the world’s most advanced stealth and combat capabilities.
The J-35A reportedly has been under development for over ten years and some believe it is intended for the PLA Navy. Carl Schuster, an ex-intelligence director for the US Pacific Command, believes that since the J-35 made its first flight in 2021, it might be ready for full production soon. He also added that the J-35A could come with more enhancements, like more powerful engines over the prototype, so China could roll out an upgraded model as early as next year.
This is not the first time the stealth fighter programs in China have been called to the table. In the past, claims stated that China has even borrowed critical stealth technology from the United States. Those claims were further resuscitated by the 2015 Edward Snowden leak, which had a German magazine called Der Spiegel mention some documents referencing espionage. China denies the claims, saying it was solely developed by AVIC, one of the country’s best state-owned aerospace companies.
Beyond the J-35A, Zhuhai promises a whole show of the state of Chinese military technology. Among the other breakthroughs on view will be H-19 surface-to-air missiles and an entirely new class of reconnaissance and strike drones. As usual, Russia also features on the list of visitors. Russia is likely to display a stealthy Su-57, meaning that interest coming in from abroad will, besides interest within China, involve all sorts of comparisons between this kind of capability and the advances two other countries often talked of in the same context are making – US ones, of course.
My opinion is that this entire attempt by China might just go through in asserting its power, but especially in its region, there are already lots of flare-ups between other nations and the US. However, I still believe that considering the complexity of stealth technology design and how hard it is to maintain it, China hasn’t reached the US standards. It’s one thing to roll out a new model and quite another to develop a fighter that matches the proven effectiveness of the American jets. Still, if China keeps this pace, it could start to change the balance of aerial power in Asia, especially with the continuous development of its stealth fleet.
Minutes by M31GlobalNews
