Days after officially breaking cover, the PLA Air Force’s J-35A fifth-generation stealth aircraft took to the skies for its first training flight ahead of the upcoming Zhuhai Air Show.
A video of the J-35A in flight in the Zhuhai skies surfaced on social media site X (previously Twitter) on November 8. The aircraft is reportedly preparing for its first-ever demonstration flight at the fifteenth edition of China’s Zhuhai Air Show.
According to China Bugle, which first published the photos of the J-35A last week, China’s J-20 stealth fighter jet, J-35A stealth fighter jet, YY-20 tanker aircraft, Z-8, and Z-20 armored helicopters conducted adaptive training on November 8 in preparation for the upcoming Air Show.
The latest reports follow state media’s previous announcement that the J-20, the J-16, and the Y-20 are scheduled to perform aerial demonstrations.
More importantly, though, a series of photographs that offered the best view of the J-35A to date were uploaded to X. Stunned by the spectacular images taken from different angles, military bloggers and netizens heaped praises on the Chinese stealth aircraft. For instance, a well-known PLA aviation expert and researcher referred to the aircraft as the “undisputed star of the show.”
Earlier this week, the J-35A was unmasked in a photo released on November 5 during an Air Force press conference. China has now officially become only the second country in the world to have two fifth-generation stealth fighter jets.
The Chinese state media noted that the PLA’s announcement of the J-35A suggests the aircraft is now operational and meets the Air Force’s standards for technical performance, safety, and reliability.
The J-35 program is an extension of China’s J-31 fighter, which debuted at the 2014 Zhuhai exhibition but was never deployed by the PLA or offered for sale. The aircraft also has a carrier-based variant with folded-wings capability, which will be known as J-35.
The latest photos of the J-35A in flight over Zhuhai have once again stirred the conversation about the aircraft’s striking resemblance to the US F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft. In one of the pictures (seen below), the aircraft looked nearly indistinguishable from the F-35.
Chinese experts frequently speculate that the J-35 has been designed to rival the US-origin F-35 Lightning II. The J-35A, like the US F-35 Lightning II, features a tailplane wing design instead of the canard-wing configuration of China’s first stealth aircraft, the J-20 Mighty Dragon.
The striking similarities between the Chinese and American stealth fighters have also prompted critics to accuse the Asian country of copying the F-35 aircraft.
For several years, the West has accused China of trying to steal classified information about the F-35 stealth fighter. China has, however, refuted these claims. Interestingly, Beijing chose 35 as the aircraft’s official designation.
The two aircraft’s striking similarity does not automatically mean they would be similar in their performance. Engines, sensors, avionics, weapon bay capacity, and stealth characteristics define an aircraft’s combat capability, and it is too soon to ascertain how the two fighters stack up against each other.
However, the aircraft continues to hog the limelight and has been trending across social media sites since its debut. In an unexpected development, a popular Iran-based news media outlet ‘Iran Observer’ wrote on X: “Yes, we have yet to get our SU-35s from Putin, But if Iran opts for a fifth-generation aircraft, there’s no better choice than the J-35 recently unveiled by China.”
Though this is not the official position of the Iranian government, the post garnered significant attention and pointed towards Iran’s affinity with China at a time of growing bitterness with the United States.
China’s Most Awaited Air Show
The southern Greater Bay city of Zhuhai is hosting the opening of the six-day China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition. The J-35A and a host of other newly unveiled military equipment will be showcased at the nation’s largest civil and military airshow, which Beijing hosts every two years.
Besides the J-35A, which will undeniably be the star of the event, cutting-edge fighter jets like the carrier-capable J-15T will also be on display at the air show. The J-15T is a catapult-capable variant of the country’s first carrier-based fighter, which could be used aboard the Chinese Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian.
Moreover, the HQ-19 air defense system, considered an analog of the US THAAD, will also debut at the much-awaited air show. The anti-ballistic missile defense system will be on static display.
In addition, the PLA Navy’s shipborne variant of the Z-20 helicopter broker cover arrived in Zhuhai on November 8. The brand-new helicopter, whose photos have been published on X, will also participate in the upcoming Zhuhai Air Show.
According to the latest Global Times report, over 1,000 exhibitors from 47 nations and regions, including the US, France, and Russia, have signed up for this year’s Airshow China.
The PLAAF announced in an official statement that it will bring 36 various types of equipment for ground static displays and aerial flying demonstrations, showcasing the advancement of its equipment in a comprehensive and close-up way.
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