China to unveil J-35A
stealth fighter jet as air force aims to match US aerial power
By Simone McCarthy, CNN
Published 3:51 AM EST, Tue November 5, 2024
The Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force
will officially debut its J-35A fighter jet next week. Chen Yang/People's Liberation Army
Hong
KongCNN —
China’s air force is set to officially debut its
new stealth fighter jet, the J-35A, giving observers the first look at a highly
anticipated asset that adds to the country’s fast growing military
capabilities.
The
fighter, an image of which was released during an air force press conference
Tuesday, will appear at an air show in the southern city of Zhuhai next week, officials
said.
The
development of the jet is widely seen as part of Beijing’s bid to match the
United States’ stealth fighter capabilities – as it pushes to modernize
its armed forces and assert its military
might in Asia.
The
J-35A is “designed mainly for air combat operations and can also conduct
air-to-surface attack,” according to a report from a Chinese
military-affiliated outlet.
If the
aircraft is commissioned into operation, it would make China the second country
after the US to have two types of stealth fighter jets, according to experts
cited by Chinese state media.
China’s
J-20 stealth fighter entered service in 2017, officials said at the time.
Stealth
fighters are those that are designed to evade radar and other monitoring to
conduct missions without being detected or intercepted.
The J-35
is likely to be designed as a series and may also be used as carrier-based
aircraft in the future, Chinese military expert Li Li told state broadcaster
CCTV. This would “greatly improve the overall strength of China’s sea and air
combat,” she said.
The
fighter’s debut follows what analysts at Janes global open-source intelligence
firm have described as China’s “bolstering” of its forward theater commands
with additional J-20s.
The
People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force between July 2023 and this June
inducted more than 70 J-20s, bringing the force’s operational fleet up to
approximately 195, according to a Janes report published earlier this year.
It’s not
clear when the new J-35A fighter would be commissioned into military use and
where the fighters would be deployed.
The
sparse details released about the fighter so far also make it difficult to
compare with other stealth fighters, including the US’ F-22 and F-35.
Carl
Schuster, a former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint
Intelligence Center, said the J-35A, which has been in development for more
than 10 years, was likely intended for the PLA Navy.
“The
J-35 made its maiden flight in 2021, but as a derivative of an earlier
prototype, it may be ready for production by early next year,” Schuster said,
adding that the J-35A model likely improved on that earlier design with more
powerful engines.
China’s
development of stealth fighters has for years been dogged
by accusations that it stole crucial stealth fighter technology
from the US.
Beijing
has vigorously denied those claims, which came to light with the 2015
publication by German magazine Der Spiegel of documents purportedly from US
National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden.
The
J-35A is a “new type of stealth fighter jet independently developed by Aviation
Industry Corporation of China (AVIC),” a Chinese military affiliated outlet
said this week.
China’s
J-35A is not the only technology that will be on show for the first time at
next week’s airshow, which takes place in Zhuhai from November 12 to 17.
The H-19
surface-to-air missile system and new “reconnaissance and strike” UAVs will
also have their public debut, Col. Niu Wenbo of the air force’s equipment
department said Tuesday.
CCTV has
also reported that Russia’s Su-57 stealth fighter would join the air show for
the first time, among equipment from 49 different countries and regions that
would be represented this year.
