Shenyang J-35

Shenyang J-35
J-35A at 2024 Zhuhai Air Show.
Role Multirole stealth fighter
National origin China
Manufacturer Shenyang Aircraft Corporation
Design group 601st Design Institute
First flight 31 October 2012 (FC-31)[1]
29 October 2021 (J-35)[2]
26 September 2023 (J-35A)[3]
Status Flight testing
Primary user People's Liberation Army Air Force
People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force
Produced 2012–2016 (FC-31)
2020–present (J-35)
Developed from Shenyang FC-31

The Shenyang J-35 is a series of Chinese twin-engine, all-weather, stealth multirole combat aircraft manufactured by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC), designed for air superiority and surface strike missions. The aircraft reportedly has two variants, a land-based variant designed for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), and a carrier-based variant optimized for catapult-assisted takeoff (CATOBAR) for the People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF).

The aircraft is developed from the FC-31 Gyrfalcon (Chinese: 鹘鹰; pinyin: Gǔ yīng),[4][5][6][7][8] a stealth aircraft prototype that serves as a demonstrator aiming to secure potential export customers after SAC lost the J-XX bid to the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group. The prototype had often been referred as J-31,[note 1] F-60, J-21, Snowy Owl or Falcon Hawk in various media reports.[10][11][12][13][14] The fighter initially does not feature the J-XX nomenclatures, as such names are reserved for programs launched and financed by the military, while the FC-31 was developed independently as a privately funded venture by SAC.[15][16] The original FC-31 prototype made its maiden flight on October 31, 2012.[1]

The People's Liberation Army, particularly the PLA Navy, later took an interest in the FC-31 project, leading to the prototype being further developed with a catapult launch bar and folding wings, and the revised variant took flight on 29 October 2021.[2] The land-based variant emerged in 2023[3][17] and was officially debuted ahead of the 2024 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, receiving the designation J-35A.[18] The introduction of the J-35 would make it the second Chinese fifth-generation fighter (after the Chengdu J-20) and China the only country other than the United States to equip two types of stealth fighters.[19][20]

  1. ^ a b Chen, Minnie (31 October 2013). "China unveils new fifth-generation stealth fighter". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013.
  2. ^ a b Newdick, Thomas; Rogoway, Tyler (29 October 2021). "China's Carrier-Capable Naval Stealth Fighter Has Flown". The War Zone.
  3. ^ a b Newdick, Thomas (29 September 2023). "Speculation Over Possible New J-35 Variant For China's Air Force". The War Zone.
  4. ^ Waldron, Greg (1 November 2018). "ANALYSIS: China advances on fighter front". FlightGlobal. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021.
  5. ^ "PLA stealth fighter jet J-35A to debut at 15th Airshow China in Zhuhai". 5 November 2024. Archived from the original on 5 November 2024.
  6. ^ "业务领域 战斗机". AVIC. Archived from the original on 2018-01-28. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  7. ^ "FC-31 Makes Airshow China Debut". Aviation Week. 2014-11-11. Archived from the original on 2017-07-01. Retrieved 2018-11-01.
  8. ^ "Fighters For Business". AVIC. Archived from the original on 2018-01-28. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  9. ^ "China's latest stealth fighter 'J-31B' ready for PLA service, video suggests". South China Morning Post. 2024-07-06. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  10. ^ Tamir Eshel (2012-09-16). "A New Stealth Fighter Unveiled in China". Defense Update. Archived from the original on 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference FI_New_Chinese_fighter_flight was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "J-21 (Jianjiji-21 Fighter aircraft 21) / F-21". Globalsecurity. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  13. ^ "Intensive Flight-Tests for China's J-31 Fighter; May Challenge US for Market Share". Defense News. Archived from the original on 2014-11-10. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  14. ^ "China's Newest Stealth Fighter Takes Flight". Wired. 31 October 2012. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014.
  15. ^ I Sutton, H (8 June 2021). "First Sighting Of New Stealth Fighter For Chinese Navy's Aircraft Carriers". Naval News.
  16. ^ Kenhmann, Henri (28 August 2016). "La fin du programme Shenyang FC-31 ?". East Pendulum (in French). Archived from the original on 2016-12-29. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  17. ^ Newdick, Thomas (31 May 2024). "Land-Based Variant Of China's J-35 Naval Stealth Fighter Makes Sense". The War Zone.
  18. ^ Newdick, Thomas; Rogoway, Tyler (5 November 2024). "China's J-35A Stealth Fighter Officially Breaks Cover". The War Zone.
  19. ^ AFP (12 November 2024). "China's largest air show takes off with fighter jets, attack drones". Radio France.
  20. ^ Chan, Ryan (12 November 2024). "China Unveils Stealth Jets To Rival US Air Force's F-22 and F-35 Fighters". Newsweek.


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