Images of the developmental land-based version of the AVIC/Shenyang J-35 have emerged from Zhuhai, offering some insights into its capabilities and hinting at its first possible user.
The aircraft, which Chinese state media designate ‘J-35A’, is descended from the J-31/FC-31 Gyrfalcon family. The J-31, in an all-black livery, first flew at the Zhuhai air show a decade ago in November 2014.
The new jet sports a People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) paint scheme and has the number ‘75’ on its twin tail in recognition of the PLAAF’s 75-year history.
While often compared to the Lockheed Martin F-35, the J-35A has not one but two engines – believed to be the locally developed WS-21. It cuts a far slimmer profile than the American jet, likely owing to the lack of a family requirement for a short take-off and vertical landing version, as is the case with the F-35B.
The aircraft at Zhuhai features a single nose-wheel and appears to lack a landing hook, suggesting it is optimised for air force operations from runways. Photographs of the J-35 variant in development for service aboard Chinese aircraft carriers, on the other hand, show far more robust landing gear. The carrier jet also includes twin-wheel nose wheels with an attached catapult launch bar, as well as a landing hook.
Under the nose, the aircraft has an electo-optical targeting system (EOTS), but the opaque colouring could suggest that the jet only carries a dummy version of this system. Typically, EOTS devices are of reflective glass.
The F-35A features a diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI) that recalls other Chinese types such as the Chengdu/Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17, and Chengdu J-10 and J-20. The DSI helps to divert boundary layer airflow away from the engine, helping to slow air from supersonic to subsonic speeds.
The jet’s slim design and need to accommodate two engines raises questions about the amount of internal fuel that can be carried.
The F-35’s single-engine design and the rearward positioning of its landing gear offers space under the forward fuselage for its two weapons bays. The J-35A lacks the space for such an arrangement between the lip of its intake and the door for its main landing gear.
It is probable that the J-35A features a pair of weapons bays under its fuselage, like its FC-31 cousin – carrying weapons internally is a key feature of low-observable aircraft.
The J-35A’s stealth characteristics appear to be something that China would like to keep secret: the aircraft at Zhuhai appears to carry a radar reflector under its rear fuselage, helping to mask its signature characteristics.
It is also not clear whether the J-35A will be adopted by the PLAAF, which has focused on the J-10 to fulfil its light fighter requirements.
Rather, the type may be focused on the export market. At the Dubai air show in 2015, AVIC gave a surprising briefing about the FC-31, an evolution of the J-31. At that time Gyrfalcon designer Lin Peng said the FC-31 is envisaged as a low-observable jet with “multi-spectrum, low-observability characteristics”.
That briefing suggested that AVIC was eager to find an international partner for the programme.
The obvious candidate for such a partnership is Pakistan, with which China co-developed the JF-17. In January, Pakistan air force chief Zaheer Sidhu suggested that preparations have been underway to obtain the J-31.
“The foundation for acquiring the J-31 stealth fighter aircraft has already been laid, which is all set to become part of the [Pakistan air force’s] fleet in the near future,” said a summary of Sidhu’s speech posted on the official Pakistan air force Facebook page.
Moreover, the Pakistan air force has traditionally sent large, high-level contingents to the Zhuhai air show. Sending the J-35A to the show could well reflect Pakistani interest in the type.
The appearance of the J-35A at Zhuhai is one of the high points of 2024 for China aviation watchers. Overall, the image suggests a smooth, low-observable design that indicates genuine progress in China’s efforts to develop fifth-generation aircraft.
