The mist was thick over Zhuhai when the roar finally hit. It wasn't just loud; it was that chest-rattling vibration you only get from high-performance turbofans. Then, out of the gray, it appeared—sleek, dark, and looking suspiciously like something we’ve seen before in the hangars of Fort Worth. This was the moment everyone had been waiting for. China finally pulled the curtain back on the J-35A stealth fighter jet at the Zhuhai Air Show, and honestly, it changed the math of Pacific air power overnight.
For years, we’ve been looking at grainy satellite photos and "leaked" blurry camcorder footage from outside factory fences in Shenyang. But seeing it taxiing on the tarmac at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition was different. This wasn't a mock-up. It wasn't a "concept." It was a real, serialized airframe with People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) markings.
With this debut, China just joined a very exclusive club. Only two countries on the planet now operate two distinct types of fifth-generation stealth fighters. The U.S. has the F-22 and the F-35. Now, China has the heavy-hitting J-20 and this new, medium-weight J-35A.
It’s Not Just an "F-35 Clone"
Look, we have to address the elephant in the room. If you put a silhouette of the J-35A next to a Lockheed Martin F-35, you're going to see a lot of "copy-paste" vibes. The DSI (Diverterless Supersonic Inlet) intakes, the canopy shape, the slanted tail fins—it's all there. Critics love to say China just stole the blueprints and called it a day.
But that’s a bit of a lazy take.
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When you look closer, the J-35A is a twin-engine beast. The F-35 is a single-engine "fat" jet designed to accommodate a massive lift fan for the Marines' vertical takeoff version. Since China didn't need to jam a giant fan in the middle of the fuselage, the J-35A is much thinner and more aerodynamic. It’s built for speed. While the F-35 struggles to hit Mach 1.6, some analysts reckon the J-35A might comfortably push Mach 1.9 or 2.0.
Why the "A" Matters
The "A" in J-35A is actually a big deal. It signifies the land-based version for the Air Force. But we know there’s a J-35B (the carrier version) waiting in the wings with beefier landing gear and a launch bar for catapults.
Basically, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation took the old FC-31 prototype—which everyone thought was a dead project five years ago—and polished it into a multi-role platform that can do a bit of everything.
- J-20: The "Mighty Dragon." It’s the heavy sniper. Long range, huge radar, built to pick off tankers and AWACS from a distance.
- J-35A: The "Gyrfalcon" (unofficially). It’s the brawler. It’s cheaper to build, smaller, and designed to be produced in massive numbers to flood the sky.
The Engine Question
If there’s a weak spot, it’s under the hood. For a long time, China relied on Russian RD-93 engines (the same ones in the MiG-29) to get their prototypes off the ground. That’s not great for stealth because those engines smoke like a chimney and run hot.
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At Zhuhai, the J-35A was reportedly sporting the domestic WS-21 engines. These are better, sure, but they’re still "stop-gap" tech. The real goal is the WS-19 "Huangshan." Once those are ready, the J-35A will likely have true supercruise capability—meaning it can fly supersonic without using gas-guzzling afterburners. That is a nightmare scenario for any adversary trying to keep track of them.
What Most People Get Wrong About Stealth
People think stealth is a "cloak of invisibility." It isn't. It’s about delaying detection long enough to get the first shot. The J-35A doesn't need to be better than the F-35 at hiding; it just needs to be good enough to get its PL-15 missiles off the rail.
The radar cross-section (RCS) of the J-35A is estimated to be around 0.01 square meters. For context, an old F-15 looks like a flying barn door on radar. Even if the F-35 is "stealthier," if China can park 50 of these things 200 miles off the coast of Taiwan, the sheer volume of high-end sensors and missiles becomes a problem that technology alone can't solve.
The Strategic Shift
Why did they show it now? Simple: Marketing and Messaging.
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- For the U.S.: It’s a "we caught up" signal.
- For the World: China is desperate to export this. Countries like Pakistan or those in the Middle East who can't get their hands on an F-35 are looking at the J-35A as a very tempting alternative. It’s expected to cost about half of what a Western stealth jet goes for.
What’s Next?
If you're tracking this, don't just look at the airframes. Watch the production lines. The real test isn't a flight demo at an air show; it’s how fast China can build 200 of them. We’re likely going to see these jets appearing on the deck of the Fujian (China’s newest aircraft carrier) within the next 18 months.
Actionable Insights for the Tech & Defense Watcher:
- Monitor Engine Milestones: Keep an eye out for news on the WS-19 engine. When that goes into mass production, the J-35A becomes a significantly more dangerous interceptor.
- Watch the Export Market: If a country like Pakistan signs a deal for the "FC-31" (the export name), it confirms the jet is stable enough for foreign pilots.
- Focus on the Network: Stealth is nothing without data links. Watch for news on how the J-35A integrates with China's KJ-500 early warning planes.
The J-35A isn't just a new plane. It’s the end of the era where the U.S. held a monopoly on "high-low" stealth combinations. The playground just got a lot more crowded.