China’s Fujian Supercarrier with J-35 Stealth Fighters Challenges U.S. Naval Dominance in Asia

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – China’s navy is preparing to unleash one of the most consequential shifts in maritime power since the end of the Cold War.

By late 2025 or early 2026, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is expected to field its first operational J-35 fifth-generation stealth fighters aboard the Type 003 Fujian supercarrier, a development that will redefine the strategic balance across the Indo-Pacific.

This move is not simply about the commissioning of another warship—it represents Beijing’s arrival as the only naval power outside the United States capable of deploying catapult-launched stealth aircraft at sea.

The implications are profound, as the J-35–Fujian pairing catapults China into an elite club of carrier powers, dramatically narrowing the technological and operational gap with the U.S. Navy.

For Washington and its allies, the emergence of Fujian and its stealth air wing signals the beginning of a new carrier arms race in Asia, one that will shape the trajectory of military planning from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean, and from the Taiwan Strait to the wider Pacific.

This milestone also ushers in China’s “three-carrier era,” enabling the PLAN to conduct simultaneous dual-carrier battle group operations while fielding a third carrier optimized for stealth operations and long-range strike.

Unlike Liaoning and Shandong, which were transitional platforms reliant on ski-jump ramps, Fujian represents a generational leap in design and doctrine, embodying China’s ambition to challenge the century-old monopoly of U.S. naval aviation supremacy.

For Beijing, the commissioning of Fujian is more than a military upgrade—it is a strategic declaration that China intends to contest sea control far beyond its near seas and secure maritime dominance across critical trade arteries stretching into the Indian Ocean and beyond.

This breakthrough comes at a moment of intensifying geopolitical friction, with flashpoints in the South China Sea, Taiwan Strait, and East China Sea already pushing the region to the brink of confrontation.

The ability to launch stealth fighters from catapults fundamentally alters the calculus of deterrence, giving Beijing a credible platform to project airpower against rivals, disrupt U.S. carrier operations, and impose new risks on regional militaries.

The Fujian’s impending combat readiness will thus mark not just a technical triumph, but a watershed moment in global naval history that cements China’s transformation into a true blue-water naval power.

Fujian: The Supercarrier Redefining Asian Naval Power

Launched in June 2022, the Fujian is the largest warship ever built by China, displacing more than 80,000 tons and stretching 316 meters in length.

Unlike the ski-jump configured Liaoning and Shandong, Fujian features a U.S.-style Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), enabling the launch of heavier fighters, airborne early warning aircraft, and fully armed strike platforms.

By mid-2025, Fujian had completed at least eight sea trials, testing propulsion, power generation, and catapult systems in preparation for flight operations.

Satellite imagery and footage in August 2025 confirmed catapult launch trials were imminent, strongly suggesting that J-35 deck integration will occur before the end of the year.

Chinese planners estimate the Fujian could deploy up to 60–70 aircraft, including stealth J-35s, upgraded J-15Ts, KJ-600 early warning planes, and Z-20 helicopters for anti-submarine warfare.

Its integrated electric propulsion provides the power for EMALS while maintaining conventional fuel, giving Beijing flexibility for rapid fleet expansion without the cost burden of nuclear propulsion.

By July 2025, the J-35 stealth fighter had entered limited series production at Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, marking a decisive step in China’s fifth-generation aviation program.

Footage circulated through state media and open-source platforms revealed multiple completed airframes, confirming that serial manufacturing was underway, with at least five to six aircraft identifiable in assembly lines and testing facilities.

This milestone followed the type’s maiden flight in 2023 and its high-profile public debut at the 2024 Zhuhai Airshow, where it drew international attention as Beijing’s answer to Western stealth designs.

Current production is focused on the J-35A variant for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), while the dedicated naval derivative is being tailored for deployment aboard catapult-equipped carriers such as the Type 003 Fujian.

Concurrently, the J-35A has begun frontline integration with the 1st Air Brigade in Shenyang, Northern Theatre Command—an elite unit already operating J-20 stealth fighters, making it China’s first mixed-generation stealth formation.

The induction of the J-35A into an operational brigade provides the PLAAF with enhanced stealth dispersal, tactical flexibility, and greater redundancy in strike and air superiority missions.

Strategically, this represents a doctrinal shift, enabling China to contest U.S. and allied air dominance across the Indo-Pacific battlespace, from the South China Sea to the Korean Peninsula.

With estimated unit costs significantly lower than those of its Western rivals, the J-35 is positioned not only as a force multiplier but as a symbol of the PLAAF’s rising “juggernaut status” in regional airpower competition.

The J-35: China’s Answer to the U.S. F-35C

The Shenyang J-35 represents China’s boldest leap in naval aviation, a twin-engine stealth fighter purpose-built to rival the U.S. Navy’s F-35C Lightning II and deliver Beijing its first true fifth-generation carrier-borne capability.

Developed from the FC-31 “Gyrfalcon” prototype, the J-35 has undergone extensive redesigns to meet the unforgiving demands of carrier operations, including reinforced landing gear, folding wings, and a tail hook for arrested landings.

Externally, the aircraft bears a striking resemblance to Western stealth designs, with a chiseled nose, blended fuselage, and canted twin tails, optimized to reduce radar cross-section and improve survivability in contested airspace.

Internally, it is fitted with an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, advanced electronic warfare systems, and sensor fusion avionics intended to rival the F-35’s much-praised combat systems.

The J-35’s internal weapons bays can house long-range PL-15 beyond-visual-range (BVR) missiles and the next-generation PL-21 air dominance missile, giving it the potential to threaten high-value targets such as tanker aircraft and airborne early warning platforms.

This capability is especially significant in the Indo-Pacific battlespace, where distance is decisive, and long-range air-to-air engagements will determine the survivability of both U.S. and allied strike packages.

In July 2025, the J-35 entered limited series production, with several prototypes displaying “Chinese Navy” markings and the distinctive Flying Shark insignia, leaving no doubt about their future role aboard the Fujian supercarrier.

Close-up imagery from recent trials revealed navalized modifications, including beefed-up arrestor hooks and launch bar fittings, confirming its readiness for catapult launches and high-stress deck operations.

China’s stealth carrier fighter is also designed with network-centric warfare in mind, capable of data-linking with other PLAN assets, including Type 055 destroyers, KJ-600 AEW&C aircraft, and future drones, enabling distributed kill-chains across maritime battlespace.

Crucially, the J-35 is expected to complement—not immediately replace—the J-15T catapult-compatible multirole fighter, creating a mixed force structure that balances proven fourth-generation mass with cutting-edge fifth-generation stealth.

Together with the KJ-600 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, the J-15T, electronic warfare variants, and anti-submarine helicopters, the J-35 will form what Chinese analysts describe as the “Carrier Quintet”, a complete air wing concept until now unique to the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz and Ford classes.

From a strategic standpoint, the J-35 offers the PLAN a first credible counter to American carrier strike groups, with the stealth and range to contest U.S. air superiority in chokepoints such as the South China Sea, the Philippine Sea, and potentially even the Indian Ocean.

Yet challenges remain, particularly in the area of engine development, where China still relies heavily on the WS-19 turbofan, an engine not yet proven in sustained carrier operations.

If Beijing can overcome these hurdles, the J-35 will stand as the most formidable naval stealth fighter outside the United States, reshaping not just China’s maritime strategy but also the regional security architecture of the 21st century Indo-Pacific.

From Trials to Operational Deployment

As of August 2025, the Fujian supercarrier has entered the most crucial phase of its journey toward combat readiness, with catapult trials and aircraft integration forming the centerpiece of its final sea tests.

Each successive trial has pushed the ship’s systems to the limits, ranging from propulsion endurance to electromagnetic catapult stress tests, designed to validate the ship’s ability to repeatedly launch fully armed stealth fighters in rapid succession.

The upcoming stage will see touch-and-go landings on Fujian’s deck, a critical rehearsal that allows pilots to familiarize themselves with the carrier’s arresting gear, flight deck procedures, and approach profiles before moving to full recovery operations.

Following this, the PLAN is expected to conduct progressive launch trials, initially using unmanned drones and modified test aircraft before transitioning to full catapult launches of the J-35 stealth fighter by the end of 2025.

Recent imagery of J-35 prototypes shows beefed-up landing gear, launch bar attachments, and tailhook reinforcements, all tailored to withstand the immense stresses of catapult launches and arrested recoveries on a moving carrier deck.

These adaptations signal that the J-35 is not an experimental platform, but a fighter specifically engineered to sustain the grueling operational tempo of carrier strike group deployments in blue-water environments.

Once flight integration is completed, Fujian’s air wing will likely consist of 20–40 J-35 stealth fighters, supported by J-15T catapult-capable strike fighters, KJ-600 airborne early warning aircraft, and a suite of helicopters for anti-submarine warfare and combat search-and-rescue.

This diverse mix provides China with its first true multi-domain carrier strike capability, akin to the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz and Ford-class operational concepts.

Beyond the air wing itself, the Fujian will operate at the heart of a carrier strike group (CSG) protected by Type 055 Renhai-class destroyers, each bristling with 112 vertical launch cells for long-range air defense, land attack, and anti-ship missiles.

It will also be escorted by Type 052D guided missile destroyers, optimized for layered air defense, and supported by nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) capable of hunting adversary carriers and submarines across distant waters.

Together, these assets create a power projection package that extends China’s reach deep into the Pacific, Indian Ocean, and even toward the chokepoints of the Malacca Strait and beyond.

The PLAN is expected to replicate dual-carrier operations, already demonstrated with Liaoning and Shandong earlier in 2025, but now with Fujian at the forefront, giving China the ability to conduct three-carrier task force exercises for the first time in its history.

This doctrinal evolution mirrors U.S. Navy practices, where coordinated carrier groups are used to overwhelm adversary defenses, saturate strike zones, and establish uncontested sea control in wartime.

For Beijing, the deployment of Fujian with an operational J-35 wing is not just about projecting power but about ensuring the PLAN can contest and deny access to U.S. and allied forces across Asia’s most critical maritime domains.

If trials proceed on schedule, analysts expect Fujian to achieve initial operational capability (IOC) by 2026, transforming it into the PLAN’s flagship and a potent symbol of China’s determination to become the world’s second true carrier superpower.

Strategic Shockwaves Across the Indo-Pacific

The integration of J-35 stealth fighters aboard Fujian is more than a technical leap—it is a strategic earthquake.

For the first time, China will field a carrier-based stealth fighter capable of operating at extended ranges, penetrating advanced air defenses, and delivering precision strikes in contested regions.

This capability directly challenges the U.S. Navy’s F-35C, as well as Japan’s future carrier-based stealth force and India’s planned TEDBF (Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter).

The deployment strengthens China’s Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) posture across the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, making U.S. and allied operations riskier and more complex.

Regional militaries, including Japan, India, and Australia, are now recalibrating naval strategies in response, while Washington accelerates deployments of carrier strike groups to the Western Pacific.

Yet challenges remain for China, including engine reliability, pilot training, and sustainment for high-tempo operations, issues that could delay full combat readiness.

Nevertheless, Beijing’s transition from ski-jump carriers to supercarriers with stealth air wings in less than a decade underscores its determination to build a blue-water navy with global reach.

Conclusion: A Pivotal Moment in Naval History

The imminent pairing of the J-35 stealth fighter with the Fujian supercarrier marks not only a breakthrough in Chinese naval aviation but a watershed moment that could redefine the entire security architecture of the Indo-Pacific.

For the first time in modern history, the United States Navy faces a peer competitor capable of deploying catapult-launched fifth-generation fighters at sea, a capability that until now was the preserve of American carrier battle groups.

By 2026, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) could operate three fully combat-ready carriers, with Fujian spearheading stealth-based operations, while Liaoning and Shandong provide mass and dual-carrier strike flexibility.

Such a force structure would allow China to rotate carriers between the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Indian Ocean, ensuring persistent presence and the ability to surge power across multiple flashpoints simultaneously.

This capability directly challenges the U.S. and its allies, particularly in scenarios involving the Taiwan Strait, where American carrier groups have traditionally provided the backbone of deterrence against Chinese coercion.

A Fujian-led carrier strike group equipped with stealth J-35s, Type 055 destroyers, and nuclear-powered submarines could complicate U.S. intervention by projecting long-range precision strikes while operating under the umbrella of China’s expanding anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) network.

For regional powers such as Japan, India, and Australia, China’s carrier evolution raises pressing questions about their ability to counter PLAN operations beyond the first island chain and protect their own sea lines of communication.

Japan is already accelerating the conversion of its Izumo-class into F-35B carriers, while India has doubled down on plans for a Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF) to eventually field its own indigenous carrier-borne stealth jet.

Meanwhile, Australia and Southeast Asian nations face strategic dilemmas: whether to align more closely with Washington in collective deterrence or to hedge by accommodating Beijing’s expanding blue-water presence.

Globally, China’s carrier revolution is also being closely watched in Europe and the Middle East, where nations see Beijing’s rise as a template for emerging naval powers to leapfrog into high-end maritime capabilities without nuclear propulsion.

The Fujian–J-35 combination therefore represents not just a technical achievement but a symbol of China’s naval ascendancy, signaling Beijing’s determination to reshape the maritime balance of power well into the 21st century.

This transformation will inevitably fuel an arms race in carrier aviation, driving Washington and its allies to invest in sixth-generation technologies, unmanned carrier-based drones, and next-generation missile defense systems.

The countdown to China’s first catapult-launched stealth carrier strike is not merely a test of naval engineering—it is a geopolitical moment of reckoning, one that will determine how power is distributed across the world’s most contested waters.

As Fujian approaches full combat readiness, the world is not just watching—it is bracing for a new era of great-power naval rivalry, one that will echo across every maritime theater from the South China Sea to the Persian Gulf.

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA