With the high-profile appearance of the J-35, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force of the Chinese Communist Party is gradually shifting from imitating Russian-made fighter jets to imitating American military aircraft. However, the J-35, touted as a multi-role fighter, falls short in performance compared to the US F-35, and its future development direction remains unclear, including whether it will become the mainstay of the PLA Air Force or Navy carrier-based aircraft, posing many questions.
In 2009, US media reported that data on the F-35 fighter jets were stolen. In 2012, China’s J-31 (FC-31) prototype made its first flight and was unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2014. The J-31 bears a striking resemblance to the US F-35; however, during its performances, the engine continuously ran at high power, leading to criticisms of its low aerodynamic efficiency, requiring a large amount of fuel to keep the nose up. Subsequently, the aircraft was modified, with Chinese experts continuously making adjustments.
Initially, the J-31 used Russian-made engines, emitting black smoke during flight; later, it switched to indigenously developed WS-13 engines, with technical parameters similar to the Russian engines; it is said that the final version will use WS-19 engines, similar to the WS-15 engines of the J-20.
On November 5, the US election day, the PLA Air Force announced that the improved version of the J-31 was named J-35; it was unveiled a week later at the Zhuhai Airshow. Chinese experts claimed that aside from the US military, China’s military is the second in the world to equip two fifth-generation stealth fighter jets simultaneously, seemingly seeing it as new leverage in its rivalry with the US.
On November 11, Xinhua News Agency reported that the J-35A aircraft “features low detectability and good flight performance, with outstanding comprehensive combat effectiveness.”
If the flight performance of the J-35A is only “good,” but its overall combat effectiveness is promoted as “outstanding,” it lacks logic on the surface.
Compared to the J-20, the J-35 is smaller in length and width. The J-20 is a heavy fighter jet, measuring 21.2 meters in length, 13.1 meters in wingspan, 4.69 meters in height, with a maximum takeoff weight of 37 tons; its internal weapons bay can carry 4 medium-range air-to-air missiles and 2 short-range air-to-air missiles.
The J-35 is purported to be 17.3 meters long, with a wingspan of 11.5 meters, and a height of 4.8 meters; boasting a maximum takeoff weight of 28 tons, its internal weapons bay can carry 2 tons of weapons, with 6 external hardpoints capable of carrying up to 6 tons of weapons. These data are still subject to confirmation.
Chinese experts claim that the J-35 will have a shorter takeoff distance, becoming a high-low configuration similar to the US F-22 and F-35. The naming of the J-35 clearly targets the F-35, but whether it can assume a role similar to the F-35 remains unknown.
The J-35 is heralded by China as a multi-role fighter, capable of both air combat and executing air strike missions. The US once had the F-15 air superiority fighter and later the multi-role F-16 fighter, forming a high-low configuration. The US F-16 primarily conducted tactical air strikes, while the F-15 focused on air combat. Many countries lacking sufficient financial resources purchased the F-16 to balance air combat and limited air strike capabilities.
The US fifth-generation fighter jet F-22 is an air superiority fighter, followed by the multi-role F-35. Both have internal weapons bays that can simultaneously carry air-to-air missiles and precision-guided bombs; when not in stealth mode, the F-35 can carry more weapons with its 6 external hardpoints.
The US’s fifth-generation and fourth-generation fighter jets are continuously being upgraded and can implement integrated operations through data links, something that China cannot currently achieve. On November 10, Xinhua News Agency stated that “focusing on technological changes, cultivating new flight personnel for the information and intelligence era is a new task entrusted to us by the times.”
Chinese fighter jets have another major issue, which is the lack of clear positioning. The J-20 should be an air superiority fighter, but without a gun, it is difficult for close-range combat. The fourth-generation mainstay fighters J-16 and imported Su-30 and Su-35 should be multi-role fighters, but in actual combat, they may have to complement the deficiencies of the J-20, mostly still tasked with air combat missions. The J-11, J-10 are air defense fighters, and the H-6 bombers are unreliable, showing the obvious lack of the PLA Air Force’s air strike capability.
China lacks a fighter jet like the F-16 that can flexibly conduct tactical bombing. The J-35 should try to fill this gap, but it may struggle to fulfill this mission.
A major measure of the F-35’s combat capability is whether the fighter can quietly cross the Taiwan Strait, penetrate Taiwan’s air defense network, and launch precise air strikes against tactical targets. It is estimated that China is unlikely to easily send the J-35 across the Taiwan Strait to test Taiwan’s air defense capabilities; once detected and parameters collected, the so-called stealth aircraft will be exposed.
The US F-35 has participated in actual combat, and its stealth capability has been verified, with Israel having the most experience. China’s J-35’s stealth and air strike capabilities are yet to be proven.
If the J-35 intends to remain stealthy, weapons can only be housed in the internal weapons bay, with the basic configuration likely to be 4 air-to-air missiles. However, the critical question lies in whether it can simultaneously carry air-to-ground missiles or precision-guided bombs. If the J-35’s internal weapons bay is unable to accommodate ground attack weapons, the claim of being a multi-role fighter becomes questionable.
If the J-35 can only carry external air-to-ground weapons, it will lose its stealth capability, offering no advantage over fourth-generation fighter jets, making it difficult to evade air defense networks, and likewise failing to address the PLA Air Force’s lack of air strike capability.
China is still exploring in the engine field, with fighter jets often being equipped with different engine models. The J-35 is referred to as a medium fighter jet but did not dare to adopt a single engine like the F-35; China likely knows that a single engine cannot meet the required power, indicating a lack of confidence in the reliability of domestic engines.
If the J-35 were to be equipped with only one engine and it fails, it could lead to the loss of the aircraft and pilot. By currently having two engines, if one fails, there is still another one working, preventing an immediate crash. China’s current fighter jets J-11/Su-27, J-15, J-16, Su-30, Su-35, J-20, and older JH-7, J-8 all have two engines; only the J-10 light fighter jet is equipped with one engine, but its performance is noticeably weaker.
The J-35A has 2 engines, with a claimed maximum takeoff weight of 28 tons; the US F-35A uses a single engine, with a maximum takeoff weight of 31.8 tons, highlighting the difference in size.
The J-35A is slightly larger in size compared to the US F-35A. The J-35 measures 17.3 meters in length, 11.5 meters in wingspan, and 4.8 meters in height; in contrast, the F-35A measures 15.7 meters in length, 11 meters in wingspan, and 4.4 meters in height.
The internal weapons bay of the F-35A can carry 2.6 tons of weapons, simultaneously holding air-to-air missiles, precision-guided bombs, and the B-61 tactical nuclear bomb; it can also carry 8.2 tons of weapons on 6 external hardpoints, including AGM-158 long-range air-to-ground or air-to-ship missiles.
The claimed internal weapons bay of the J-35A can carry 2 tons of weapons, with 6 external hardpoints capable of carrying up to 6 tons of weapons. Despite being slightly larger in size, the J-35A lacks the weapon-carrying capacity of the F-35, particularly in the internal weapons bay, which is weaker. China’s air-to-ground missiles have larger volume and weight, making it difficult for many to fit into the J-35’s internal weapons bay.
China’s air-to-ship missiles YJ-83, YJ-92, etc., will likely need to be externally mounted on the J-35, compromising its stealth capability and agility compared to the J-16; and heavier anti-ship missiles like the YJ-12 may be too heavy or impossible to carry.
While the J-35 aims to imitate the F-35, its actual capabilities may have a considerable gap. If its stealth and radar performance are only boasts, it will struggle to fulfill the role of a mainstay fighter jet.
The US F-35 is gradually replacing the F-16, but it remains unclear which Chinese fighter jet the J-35 might replace.
It’s unlikely that the J-35 will replace the J-20. While the J-35’s stealth capabilities have improved, its overall size is smaller than that of the J-11 and J-16. The J-11/Su-27 has a length of 21.9 meters, a wingspan of 14.7 meters, a height of 5.92 meters, with a maximum takeoff weight of 33 tons. The J-16 measures 21.9 meters in length, 14.7 meters in wingspan, 6.36 meters in height, and a maximum takeoff weight of 35 tons. The J-35’s payload capacity, power performance, and range are inferior to the J-11 and J-16, making it difficult to replace them.
China’s J-10 fighter jet measures 16.9 meters in length, 9.8 meters in wingspan, 5.7 meters in height, with a maximum takeoff weight of 19.2 tons, smaller than the J-35, belonging to a light fighter jet category. If China plans to replace the J-10 with the J-35, it would need to take on more air defense tasks rather than ground strike missions.
The cost of manufacturing the J-35 is likely far higher compared to the J-10 and probably surpasses that of the fourth-generation J-16 fighter jet. The PLA Air Force may have only added an expensive medium fighter jet without a clear understanding of its combat capabilities and future direction. The introduction of the J-35 by the Chinese military is bound to trigger a new round of arms races with neighboring countries.
Taiwan holds high expectations for the navy version of the J-31, with the J-35B rumored to be a carrier-based aircraft version, reportedly with a larger fuselage, folding wings, and added catapult launch bars, but it has yet to make an official appearance.
China has also released a variant of the carrier-based aircraft J-15, named J-15T, and claimed to be ready for service on the Fujian aircraft carrier. However, the J-15T showcased at the Zhuhai Airshow was still equipped with only 4 air-to-air missiles.
The US Navy’s fifth-generation carrier-based aircraft F-35C is already in service and stationed in Japan; China’s fourth-generation carrier-based aircraft is evidently not a match, leading to speculations that the J-35B may rush to test and endeavor to board the Fujian aircraft carrier as soon as possible.
The J-15/Su-33 fighter jet bears similarities to the J-11/J-16, measuring 22.3 meters in length, 14.7 meters in wingspan, 5.92 meters in height, with a maximum takeoff weight of 32.5 tons. This heavy fighter jet is unsuitable for the Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers; however, China may have no other options and must rely on the catapults of the Fujian aircraft carrier to solve the J-15T’s overweight issues.
The US’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jet measures 18.31 meters in length, 13.62 meters in wingspan, 4.88 meters in height, with a maximum takeoff weight of 29.9 tons, making it more suitable as a carrier-based aircraft.
The US’s air-to-air missiles are more advanced, significantly smaller in size and weight, allowing the Super Hornet to carry a variety of weapons. Even if the J-15T can launch from a catapult, some larger air-to-air missiles could pose challenges, limiting its combat effectiveness.
The US F-35C measures 15.7 meters in length, 13.1 meters in wingspan, 4.48 meters in height, with a maximum takeoff weight of 31.8 tons; although smaller in size compared to the F/A-18E/F, its performance is significantly elevated.
China may hope that the J-35B can match the US’s F-35C, with the J-35B likely larger than the J-35A in size, yet its payload capacity, especially stealth payload capacity is expected to remain limited, making maritime air strikes still challenging.
Imitating an aircraft like the F-35B with vertical take-off and landing capabilities would be quite a challenge for China; its amphibious assault ships struggle to transform into light aircraft carriers.
The numerous questions surrounding China’s highly publicized J-35 reflect not only the aircraft’s limitations but also the discrepancy in air-to-air weapons and overall military concepts, research and development capabilities, and system proficiency. The J-35 cannot currently address the challenges faced by the Chinese military and can be considered another imitation of a fighter jet that falls short of expectations.