ANALYST NOTES – China Unveils Latest Rivals to U.S. F-22 and F-35 Stealth Fighters

China has just unveiled two new fifth generation stealth fighter jets, the J-20S and J-35A, during a six-day airshow in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai. These advanced aircraft, including one variant designed for drone teaming, highlight China's push for aerial superiority. Republican senators Roger Wicker and Eric Schmitt recently warned of China’s rapidly advancing air capabilities, urging a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. Air Force. The Pentagon’s report noted China’s aviation strength, with the largest air forces in the Indo-Pacific and the third largest globally, comprising approximately 2,400 combat aircraft across its air force and naval aviation branches.

The J-35, which has been in development for more than 10 years, is the second radar-evading stealth jet in the Chinese Analysis: military arsenal, after the J-20.

During the Zhuhai Airshow, state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) also released footage of a mockup of a sixth generation “integrated space-air fighter”, the so-called Baidi Type-B.  However, critics quickly countered that the purported space operations capability is more science fiction than reality. 

Analysis: The China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, also known as the Zhuhai Airshow, is a biannual aerospace trade expo held in Zhuhai since 1996. It is the largest airshow in China. Unquestionably, one of the major highlights of the latest exhibition was the unveiling of the J-35A stealth fighter, making China only the second country after the U.S. to hold two 5th generation stealth fighters. The debut of the J-35A demonstrates China’s rise as a global military power and underscores its growing ability and commitment to project hard power in the advancement of national interests.

The versatile J-35 joins the J-20 as one of China’s top stealth aircraft, with capabilities aimed at rivaling the U.S. F-35 and F-22. Analysts believe the J-35 could significantly enhance China’s air and naval power. The J-20 offers air superiority to compete with the F-22 while the J-35A, developed from the FC-31, competes with the F-35’s multi-role mission capabilities. 

As is the case with several other Chinese military platforms, the J-20 and J-35 were almost certainly built with stolen technology from U.S. government and defense contractor networks. Photo comparisons reveal that the main design features of J-35 are very similar to those of the U.S. F-35. According to U.S. defense reports, a U.S.-sanctioned, Chinese military unit known as the Technical Reconnaissance Bureau (TRB) conducted cyber espionage on several systems used on the F-35, including electro-optical targeting and advanced radar. The TRB then passed the exfiltrated data to the Chinese state-run Aviation Industry Corp. of China, which produces both the J-20 and the J-35.

Honeywell has also been accused of violating the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The defense contractor allegedly conducted illegal exports of technical drawings, including advanced systems like the F-35, F-22, B-1B, Tomahawk missile, and M1A1 Abrams tank to multiple countries, including China.