China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) appears to be developing a new framework for its modern fighter fleet, expanding its traditional three-aircraft combat formation into a four-platform concept with the addition of the J-35A stealth fighter.
The emerging doctrine, described by Chinese military commentators as the “Four Swordsmen,” brings together the J-20 heavy stealth fighter, the newly introduced J-35A medium stealth fighter, the J-16 multirole fighter and the J-10C lightweight multirole aircraft. The concept reflects Beijing’s ambition to combine stealth, advanced sensors, electronic warfare and conventional firepower into an integrated combat network.
The new terminology gained attention on November 12, 2026, marking the second anniversary of the J-35A’s public debut at the 2024 Zhuhai Airshow. Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) used the occasion to highlight the aircraft’s development and its expanding role within the PLAAF’s fighter structure.
The J-35A was unveiled on November 12, 2024, making China the second country after the United States to publicly demonstrate a fifth-generation fighter fleet comprising two distinct aircraft types. The United States operates the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, while China is seeking to establish a comparable combination through the J-20 and J-35A.
The development is significant because the J-35A is not simply another addition to China’s fighter inventory. Its introduction potentially changes how the PLAAF organizes its combat aircraft, particularly in operations involving contested airspace, long-range engagements and coordinated attacks against sophisticated air-defense systems.
Chinese state media has highlighted improvements to the J-35A’s avionics, situational awareness and weapons integration. Reports have also indicated that the aircraft could eventually receive the full version of China’s domestically developed WS-19 turbofan engine, although development and integration of the engine remain ongoing.
For several years, Chinese military commentators have described the J-20, J-16 and J-10C as the PLAAF’s “Three Swordsmen.” Together, the three aircraft have represented the backbone of China’s modern combat aviation capabilities.
The concept was based on combining the J-20’s advanced sensors and stealth characteristics with the substantial weapons capacity of the J-16 and the agility and numerical strength of the J-10C.
In November 2022, J-16 pilot Zhang Yang explained the operational relationship in an interview with CCTV.
He said the three aircraft were designed to operate together, with the J-20 using its superior situational awareness to guide the other two platforms, while the J-16 and J-10C delivered their firepower advantages.
The public introduction of the J-35A has now created the possibility of a four-aircraft arrangement.
Chinese military commentators increasingly describe the expanded lineup as a deliberate force-design approach rather than simply an inventory classification. Its central principle is to combine two fifth-generation stealth fighters with two advanced fourth-generation or 4.5-generation multirole aircraft.
Under this arrangement, the stealth fighters would provide reconnaissance, target identification, situational awareness and penetration capabilities, while the J-16 and J-10C would contribute weapons capacity, flexibility and operational numbers.
The approach resembles the high-low fighter mix long employed by the United States Air Force, which operates the F-22 and F-35 alongside aircraft such as the F-15E and F-16.
However, China’s emerging structure is designed around its own operational requirements, including the ability to conduct coordinated missions close to its mainland while extending combat operations into the Western Pacific.
The J-20 remains the most advanced and strategically important aircraft in the Chinese fighter lineup.
Developed by Chengdu Aerospace Corporation, the aircraft is a heavy fifth-generation stealth fighter designed primarily for air superiority, long-range operations and engagement of high-value targets.
Often referred to as the Mighty Dragon, the J-20 is intended to penetrate heavily defended airspace, challenge enemy fighter aircraft and disrupt critical elements of an opposing force’s military network.
Its large airframe, internal weapons bays and advanced sensor architecture provide the capacity for extended-range missions. The aircraft is also designed to coordinate with airborne early-warning aircraft, unmanned systems and other military platforms.
Within the Four Swordsmen framework, the J-20 is expected to serve as the principal high-end combat platform, using its low observability and sensor capabilities to identify threats and share targeting information with other aircraft.
This approach reflects China’s broader ambition to develop what its military describes as “intelligentized warfare,” in which information collection, artificial intelligence, network connectivity and precision weapons play increasingly important roles.
Rather than operating exclusively as an individual fighter, the J-20 could function as an airborne command-and-sensing platform, helping other aircraft engage targets without necessarily exposing themselves to enemy detection.
Its role is broadly comparable to that of the American F-22, although the two aircraft have different design characteristics and operational requirements.
The addition of the J-35A gives China a second fifth-generation fighter with a different size and intended operational profile.
Developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, the medium-weight stealth fighter has an external design that bears a noticeable resemblance to the American F-35 Lightning II. Its introduction is expected to increase the number of low-observable aircraft available to the PLAAF and provide greater flexibility in deploying stealth capabilities.
Chinese military commentators have identified routine air patrols and regional air defense as among its primary missions, with multirole strike operations forming another important part of its intended role.
In stealth configuration, the J-35A could potentially penetrate defended areas to attack radar installations, air-defense systems and naval targets using internally carried weapons.
It could also conduct reconnaissance and forward surveillance, identifying enemy positions and transmitting targeting information to other aircraft.
When operating in less demanding environments, the fighter could potentially carry additional external weapons, expanding its air-to-ground and anti-ship capabilities at the expense of some of its low-observable characteristics.
One of its most important potential contributions is increasing the number of stealth aircraft available for patrol, escort and penetration missions.
The J-20 would remain responsible for the most demanding operations, while the J-35A could undertake a wider range of missions and complicate an adversary’s ability to detect and track China’s low-observable aircraft.
Chinese experts have also suggested that the J-35A could operate alongside fourth-generation fighters, unmanned wingmen and airborne early-warning aircraft.
In such formations, the stealth fighter could enter contested airspace first, identify enemy radar and air-defense positions, and transmit their coordinates to aircraft operating farther away.
However, the J-35A remains a relatively new platform. Its operational maturity, engine performance, weapons integration and long-term reliability will depend on further development and testing.
The J-16 occupies a different position in the emerging structure.
Derived from the Russian Su-27 Flanker design family, the twin-seat J-16 is a heavy multirole fighter capable of conducting air-superiority missions, ground attacks and anti-ship operations.
Its major advantage is its substantial weapons-carrying capacity. Unlike stealth aircraft, which generally prioritize internal weapons carriage to preserve low observability, the J-16 can carry a large external weapons load.
This makes it particularly valuable for delivering precision-guided missiles and other munitions during large-scale operations.
Under the Four Swordsmen concept, the J-16 would benefit from targeting information supplied by the J-20 and J-35A. It could remain outside the most heavily defended areas while using information from stealth platforms to engage identified targets.
The aircraft is also available in a specialized electronic warfare configuration, the J-16D.
The J-16D is designed to conduct electronic attack missions, including jamming and disrupting enemy radar and communications systems. Such capabilities could become particularly important in a conflict involving advanced air-defense networks and sophisticated electronic warfare environments.
By combining the J-16’s weapons capacity with the information advantage provided by stealth fighters, China could potentially increase the effectiveness of its conventional strike operations.
The single-engine J-10C completes the four-aircraft formation by providing a relatively lighter and potentially more economical multirole fighter.
Manufactured by Chengdu Aerospace Corporation, the J-10C incorporates an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, modern avionics and compatibility with advanced air-to-air weapons.
Its principal advantages include agility, operational flexibility and the ability to be deployed in larger numbers than heavier stealth fighters.
The aircraft is expected to undertake medium- and short-range air combat, defensive counter-air operations and secondary strike missions.
Within the expanded structure, the J-10C would work alongside the J-16, providing additional aircraft numbers and weapons capacity while benefiting from the reconnaissance and targeting information supplied by stealth platforms.
The J-10C has also attracted international attention following its use by Pakistan during the May 2025 military confrontation with India.
Pakistan claimed that its Chinese-supplied J-10CE fighters shot down multiple Indian military aircraft, including Rafale fighters. India has disputed Pakistan’s claims, and the precise circumstances and number of aircraft losses remain contested.
The confrontation nevertheless brought the J-10C family into greater international focus, particularly regarding the performance of Chinese aircraft and weapons in a real-world military environment.
The central idea behind the Four Swordsmen concept is that the four aircraft should operate as an interconnected combat system rather than as independent fighter platforms.
The J-20 and J-35A would provide stealth, surveillance and forward reconnaissance, while the J-16 and J-10C would contribute greater weapons capacity and numerical strength.
In a potential engagement, stealth aircraft could identify enemy fighters, radar installations and missile-defense systems before transmitting targeting information to other aircraft.
The J-16 and J-10C could then use that information to launch weapons from positions that reduce their exposure to enemy defenses.
Chinese analysts have also highlighted the potential role of the PL-15 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, which is already associated with the J-20, J-16 and J-10C.
A compact version, the PL-15E, has been developed for export and could potentially offer a suitable weapons option for internal carriage by stealth fighters. However, its specific integration with the J-35A has not been officially confirmed.
The J-16 and J-10C also possess AESA radar systems, allowing them to conduct independent detection and engagement operations when required.
The combined arrangement could be particularly relevant in a potential conflict involving Taiwan or the South China Sea, where China would seek to establish air superiority, protect naval formations and challenge opposing military forces operating across the Western Pacific.
Operating from bases closer to mainland China would also give the PLAAF opportunities to generate substantial combat aircraft numbers while relying on stealth platforms for more demanding missions.
Nevertheless, the effectiveness of such a system would depend heavily on secure data links, electronic warfare resilience, sensor integration and the ability of different aircraft types to coordinate under combat conditions.
The Four Swordsmen concept illustrates how China is attempting to transform its rapidly modernizing air force into a networked combat system.
Rather than relying on a single advanced fighter to perform every mission, Beijing appears to be pursuing a combination of specialized aircraft that can share information and distribute operational responsibilities.
The approach has similarities with the American high-low fighter structure, but China’s ability to implement it will depend on the maturity of its aircraft, engines, sensors, weapons and supporting infrastructure.
The J-20 has already established itself as a major component of China’s airpower modernization. The J-16 and J-10C provide established multirole capabilities, while the J-35A is expected to expand the number and variety of stealth platforms available to the PLAAF.
However, the J-35A still faces the challenges associated with introducing a new-generation fighter. Its engine development, operational reliability, maintenance requirements and integration into the wider combat network will require further progress.
Unlike the mature American F-35 programme, which has accumulated years of operational experience across multiple countries, China’s J-35A is still in the early stages of establishing its operational capabilities.
For Beijing, therefore, the significance of the Four Swordsmen is not simply that China now has four prominent fighter types. It is the possibility of combining stealth penetration, advanced surveillance, electronic warfare and massed missile firepower into a coordinated air-combat architecture.
