(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – In his open assessment of China’s second fifth-generation stealth fighter, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General David W. Allvin offered a pointed critique of the recently unveiled J-35A, which made its debut at Airshow China 2024 in Zhuhai last November.
Speaking in a candid interview with a leading American defence publication, General Allvin underscored the striking resemblance between the Chinese jet and America’s own F-35, suggesting a strong design influence.
“It’s still relatively new,” General Allvin remarked.
“But yes, it’s quite clear; you could place the J-35A next to the F-35 and clearly see where we believe they (China) got the blueprint, if you will,” he added candidly.
The public unveiling of the J-35A during the Zhuhai airshow drew intense scrutiny, with many observers noting its aerodynamic profile bore an uncanny likeness to Lockheed Martin’s F-35, albeit with a key difference: the Chinese fighter is twin-engined, unlike the single-engine layout of its American counterpart.
China’s long-standing reputation for reverse-engineering Western defence technologies has again come under the spotlight, although analysts caution that aesthetic similarity does not guarantee parity in performance, avionics sophistication, or combat lethality.
Speculation around Chinese cyber espionage resurfaced after Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor, released classified documents in 2015 that appeared to implicate Beijing in the illicit acquisition of sensitive F-35 data.
The comparison between J-35A (top) and F-35 (below). Uncanny resemblance?
According to those disclosures, Chinese cyber actors allegedly breached secure networks and accessed critical information about the F-35’s design and systems, with additional breaches reportedly occurring as early as 2007 targeting Lockheed Martin subcontractors.
Beijing has consistently rejected accusations of intellectual property theft, denouncing them as politically motivated attempts by Washington to inflame tensions.
The J-35A’s official reveal at Airshow China 2024 marked a milestone in Chinese military aviation, offering a detailed look at a fighter that had previously only surfaced in grainy, unofficial images.
The strategic implications of the J-35A’s debut are significant, as the platform is expected to substantially bolster the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) combat airpower and project Chinese influence in contested airspaces.
The J-35A’s emergence reflects a broader ambition by Beijing to rival the United States in fifth-generation fighter development, part of a sweeping military modernization program aimed at narrowing the qualitative gap with Western air forces.
China’s J-35A
Chinese state defence media describes the J-35A as a multirole platform, capable of executing both air-to-air superiority and precision ground strike missions under all-weather conditions.
With this development, China has become the only nation besides the United States to field two separate fifth-generation stealth fighters, adding the J-35A to its existing fleet of J-20 “Mighty Dragons.”
In comparison, the U.S. arsenal includes the F-22 Raptor and the globally deployed F-35 Lightning II, both considered benchmarks in stealth fighter performance.
The first high-resolution images of the J-35A confirm the presence of an Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS), mirroring that of the F-35, and a Radar Reflective Luneburg Lens under the fuselage—components typically used for calibration and stealth masking.
China has officially designated the J-35A as its land-based variant, while a navalized version designed for aircraft carrier operations will retain the J-35 designation, and the export-oriented model is referred to as the FC-31.
F-35 Lightning IIF-35 Lightning II
Prominent Chinese military analyst Wang Mingzhi categorizes the J-20 as a heavyweight stealth platform, while positioning the J-35A within the medium-class stealth fighter tier, likely optimized for more agile multirole operations.
A senior expert at the Shenyang Aircraft Design and Research Institute, part of AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China), confirmed that the J-35 is intended to evolve into a modular fighter family, incorporating various configurations for both air force and naval deployments.
China’s J-35A Stealth Fighter Emerges as Strategic Game-Changer, Raising Alarms Across U.S. and Allied Defence Circles
The United States has long enjoyed unrivalled dominance in fifth-generation stealth fighter technology, primarily through its F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II programs.
The J-35A, with its advanced stealth design, twin-engine configuration, and growing multirole capabilities, represents China’s most credible attempt yet to challenge that dominance, especially in the Indo-Pacific theatre.
If the J-35A proves to be a capable peer competitor to the F-35, it could undermine the U.S.’s qualitative edge in air combat and force the Pentagon to accelerate the development and deployment of sixth-generation fighters under the NGAD (Next Generation Air Dominance) program.
With China fielding both the heavy-duty J-20 and now the medium-weight J-35A, the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) and PLA Naval Air Force (PLANAF) are set to field a dual-pronged fifth-generation stealth capability that allows for flexible force projection both inland and at sea.
This could tilt the balance of power in contested zones such as the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Taiwan Strait—placing U.S. forward-deployed forces, such as those in Japan and Guam, under greater threat, and complicating allied contingency planning.
Two J-35/FC-31 stealth fighter jets aboard the aircraft carrier Liaoning.
The J-35A, particularly its carrier-capable variants, may enable China to project fifth-generation airpower over Taiwan and surrounding waters from its growing fleet of aircraft carriers like the Fujian.
This significantly compresses the strategic decision-making window for Taiwan and its defenders, and forces U.S. and Japanese planners to account for stealth-enabled saturation attacks from multiple vectors—especially in a scenario involving a cross-strait invasion or blockade.
Although comprehensive technical specifications remain undisclosed, several critical performance parameters have emerged through open-source intelligence and expert analyses:
Design and Role:
The J-35A is a twin-engine, all-weather stealth fighter designed for both air dominance and ground-attack missions, and stands as China’s second fifth-generation aircraft following the J-20.
Speed:
Reports suggest the J-35A can achieve speeds of up to Mach 2.0, outpacing the F-35’s top speed of Mach 1.6 and offering enhanced performance in high-speed intercept roles.
Engines:
Equipped with two high-thrust engines, the J-35A benefits from superior acceleration, redundancy, and greater manoeuvrability compared to single-engine counterparts.
J-35AJ-35A
Stealth Capabilities:
The fighter incorporates advanced low-observable technologies, including reduced radar cross-section shaping and internal weapon bays to minimize detection and tracking by enemy radars.
Avionics and Sensors:
The aircraft features an integrated avionics suite and a comprehensive sensor array designed to maximize pilot situational awareness, threat detection, and target acquisition in contested air environments.
Variants:
At present, three configurations are reported: a land-based model for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), a carrier-capable version for the People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF) equipped for catapult-assisted takeoffs, and a prospective export variant labeled FC-31.
With its unveiling, the J-35A signals a maturing of China’s stealth aviation capabilities and underscores Beijing’s intent to assert itself as a peer competitor to the United States in the next generation of aerial warfare.
