China has declassified its latest stealth fighter jet, making it only the second country after the US to possess two types of such aircraft.
The J-35A is set to be shown to the public at the Airshow China 2024 in the southern city of Zhuhai, from 12 November to 17 November.
The aircraft adds to the airpower of the world’s fastest growing military, and is part of an effort by Beijing to match America’s military capabilities as it modernises its armed forces.
Its commissioning has not been confirmed yet. But once inducted into the People’s Liberation Army, it will be China’s second stealth fighter jet in service. The other is the fifth-generation J-20 stealth combat aircraft, which was commissioned in 2016.
The US has the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II in this category of stealth fighter aircraft.
Stealth military jets have features that make them difficult for radar and other detection systems to spot. They employ advanced technologies and design strategies to reduce radar, infrared, visual, and acoustic signatures, effectively making them "invisible" or "stealthy" to enemy defence systems.
The Chinese defence ministry released a picture of the new jet at a press conference on Tuesday. It shows “75” on the jet’s tail, a reference to the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China which was marked this year.
The J-35A is reportedly “designed mainly for air combat operations and can also conduct air-to-surface attack”.
Noting the difference between the J-20 and the J-35A, Chinese military analyst Wang Mingzhi said the former is categorised as a heavy duty stealth fighter jet whereas the latter is a medium-sized multirole stealth fighter jet.
“The primary distinction is that the J-20 focuses on air superiority missions while the J-35A is versatile, capable of pursuing air superiority and accomplishing a variety of ground and maritime strike missions,” he said.
“In future operations, these two aircraft can precisely target both land and sea objectives in a coordinated manner, thus playing a crucial role for achieving air superiority.”
Wang Yongqing, chief expert at the Shenyang Aircraft Design and Research Institute, the company which developed the aircraft, said the J-35 series will have multiple variants for both air and naval forces.
The new aircraft “features highly mature technology and system, which in turn improve its reliability”, he said, adding the "A" in the J-35A denotes “its capability status, indicating a phase in its development, which is still underway and in order”.
The J-35A is one of several pieces of Chinese military hardware set to feature at the airshow. The H-19 surface-to-air missile system and new “reconnaissance and strike” UAVs will also make their debut at this year’s show, Niu Wenbo of the air force’s equipment department confirmed on Tuesday.
Russia’s Su-57 stealth fighter will also make an appearance for the first time.
