The prototype of a new Chinese combat aircraft unofficially dubbed ‘J-36’ has apparently made its second public appearance, with new footage emerging of the jet in flight.
The footage, originally posted on Chinese social media on 17 March, shows the large, double delta-winged aircraft performing sharp turns in a hazy sky above an urban area.
Unlike the initial batch of footage, which emerged on 26 December 2024, the tailless aircraft is not accompanied by a Chengdu J-20S fighter. In December the presence of the two-seat J-20S chase plane led to speculation that the new aircraft was developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, a unit of state airframer AVIC.
In addition to the absence of a chase plane, video shot of the latest flight suggests that – unlike with the December flight – the aircraft retracted its landing gear.
The authenticity of the footage is open to question, but the appearance did receive coverage by China’s Global Times propaganda outlet.
The Global Times did not include an actual image of the aircraft – which Beijing likely deems a state secret – but it did include an image that the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theatre Command posted on 1 January in a New Years greeting.
The image shows a gingko leaf, which could be taken to resemble the outline of the J-36, and an oddly shaped bird, which resembles the outline of another new stealth aircraft that also appeared on 26 December 2024, apparently produced by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation.
This post, according to Global Times, was intended to subtly celebrate the advent of both aircraft.
The new J-36 imagery underlines the type’s peculiar three-engine configuration, with the intake of the third engine above the fuselage.
Another shot suggests that the jet has five control surfaces on the trailing edge of each wing, with the outboard surfaces also apparently serving as brake-rudders, similar to the Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bomber, controlling yaw and serving as speed brakes.
At the recent Air & Space Forces Association event in Denver, Colorado, the head of the US Air Force’s Air Combat Command, General Kenneth Wilsbach, stated that the J-36 and new Shenyang type are likely intended for the air superiority role.
Both designs include low-observable features such as a lack of vertical stabilisers, internal weapons bays and blended-wing fuselages. Communist party authorities in Beijing have not acknowledged the new jets or offered hints as to their intended purpose.
