In a rare moment of public candor, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General David W. Allvin addressed the growing buzz around China’s second fifth-generation stealth fighter, the J-35A. Unveiled in November 2024 at Airshow China in Zhuhai, the jet has prompted a wave of speculation, scrutiny, and concern from Western military analysts. Speaking to a prominent American defense outlet, General Allvin remarked on the aircraft’s striking resemblance to the U.S.-made F-35 Lightning II.
“It’s still relatively new,” Allvin said. “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.”
The comments, though brief, encapsulate a growing unease in Western defense circles. The J-35A’s public debut at Zhuhai was a carefully choreographed display of Chinese aerospace ambition, intended as much for global perception as for domestic pride. It also intensified long-standing allegations that Beijing has leveraged cyber espionage to close the technology gap with the West.
The origins of these concerns trace back to 2015, when whistleblower Edward Snowden released classified documents implicating Chinese cyber operatives in hacking campaigns targeting Lockheed Martin and its subcontractors. The breaches allegedly began as early as 2007 and reportedly exposed sensitive information about the F-35’s radar systems, engine design, and stealth features. Beijing, predictably, has denied all allegations, calling them politically motivated.
Despite the denials, the similarities between the J-35A and the F-35 are hard to ignore. While the J-35A incorporates a twin-engine configuration in contrast to the F-35’s single-engine setup, the aerodynamic profiles are uncannily similar.
More than just an aesthetic mimicry, the J-35A’s unveiling signals a significant evolution in China’s stealth aviation capabilities. It joins the J-20 “Mighty Dragon” as China’s second fifth-generation fighter, making the People’s Republic the only nation aside from the United States to field two distinct stealth fighter platforms.
Chinese state media describes the J-35A as a multirole aircraft optimized for air-to-air combat, ground strikes, and operations in contested environments. Its introduction supports Beijing’s broader military modernization drive, designed to reduce the qualitative edge of U.S. and allied air forces in the Indo-Pacific.
The land-based J-35A is expected to be accompanied by a carrier-based version, simply called the J-35, which will operate from China’s next-generation aircraft carriers, including the Fujian. An export version dubbed the FC-31 is also under development.
This dual-variant approach aligns with China’s broader naval expansion strategy. By enabling fifth-generation airpower projection from both land bases and sea-based platforms, China can exert greater pressure in flashpoints like the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Taiwan Strait.
Military planners in Washington, Tokyo, and Taipei are already recalibrating their defense postures in response. The presence of a stealth-capable Chinese carrier-based fighter significantly complicates defensive planning. It introduces the possibility of saturation stealth attacks from multiple vectors, especially in scenarios involving a Taiwan contingency.
The J-35A’s emergence places direct pressure on U.S. air dominance. While the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II have served as gold standards for stealth and combat performance, the new Chinese platform forces a reassessment. If the J-35A achieves near-peer capability, the U.S. may be compelled to accelerate the development of its sixth-generation Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.
China’s dual-pronged approach—with the heavyweight J-20 and the medium-weight J-35A—offers the PLA Air Force and PLA Navy unprecedented flexibility in shaping regional conflicts. The J-20 is tailored for high-altitude interception and long-range strike roles, while the J-35A is more agile, suited for multirole missions and rapid deployments.
While China has released few official technical details, high-resolution images and open-source intelligence provide some insight into the J-35A’s capabilities:
- Engines: The aircraft features a twin-engine layout, which offers improved thrust-to-weight ratio, redundancy, and maneuverability. It reportedly surpasses Mach 2.0, eclipsing the F-35’s top speed of Mach 1.6.
- Stealth Features: The J-35A includes reduced radar cross-section shaping, internal weapons bays, and radar-absorbing materials. A Radar Reflective Luneburg Lens seen under the fuselage suggests ongoing calibration for stealth optimization.
- Sensor Suite: It features an Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) similar to the F-35, providing passive detection, infrared search and track (IRST), and target designation. Reports indicate an integrated avionics system designed for high situational awareness.
- Modularity: According to a senior engineer from the Shenyang Aircraft Design and Research Institute, the J-35 series is envisioned as a modular fighter family, allowing configurations for air force, naval, and export roles.
The export variant of the J-35A, known as the FC-31, has drawn attention from nations seeking advanced aircraft without the geopolitical strings attached to U.S. platforms. Countries like Pakistan, Iran, and potentially others in Africa and Southeast Asia may find the FC-31 an attractive option. If successful, it could challenge U.S. dominance in the global fighter export market.
However, Western analysts caution that visual similarity does not ensure parity in performance. True fifth-generation capability demands more than stealthy shaping; it requires integrated avionics, network-centric warfare compatibility, superior thrust-vectoring, and electronic warfare systems—areas where the U.S. still maintains an edge.
The Pentagon, while measured in its official response, has acknowledged the J-35A as a “strategic variable” in Indo-Pacific planning. Defense officials in Australia, Japan, and India are also tracking the development closely, with Japan considering further enhancements to its F-35 fleet and indigenous fighter programs.
In Taiwan, the fighter’s unveiling has heightened concerns over Beijing’s capacity to launch a stealth-enabled first strike or enforce an aerial blockade. The J-35A’s range and versatility make it ideal for missions aimed at degrading Taiwan’s early warning systems, airfields, and missile batteries.
Despite the hype, some Western analysts urge caution in overestimating the J-35A’s capabilities. “Reverse engineering can get you the shape, but not the soul of a fighter,” one former U.S. defense official noted. “What matters most is how these systems operate in a contested battlespace—and we won’t know that until they’re tested under fire.”
Still, the J-35A’s arrival represents a significant leap for China. It reflects not only improved aerospace engineering but also a maturing doctrine that values force projection, multi-domain integration, and technological parity with Western forces.
The J-35A’s deployment timeline remains unclear, though experts suggest initial operational capability could be achieved within two to three years, especially if Beijing prioritizes its integration into the growing fleet of Type 003 aircraft carriers.
In the meantime, its mere existence alters the strategic calculus. For the United States and its allies, the J-35A is both a warning and a catalyst—a signal that the era of unchallenged Western air superiority is fading, and that the next phase of aerial warfare will be contested not just in design, but in doctrine, deployment, and deterrence.
The skies of the Indo-Pacific are becoming more crowded and more complex. As China sharpens its edge with the J-35A, the world watches closely, aware that the balance of power in the 21st century may very well be decided above the clouds.
