China’s New Stealth Fighters Have 1 Big Advantage over the U.S. Air Force

Key Points and Summary – China’s rapid, iterative development of its J-36 6th-gen fighter—with a second, drastically redesigned prototype appearing in less than a year—suggests it is winning the “speed of innovation” race.

-This industrial pace, which can reportedly produce a new J-20 every eight days, stands in stark contrast to the U.S. Air Force, which faces a readiness crisis.

J-36 Fighter from China. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

J-36 Fighter from X Screenshot. Image Credit: X Screenshot.

-The USAF is 300 fighters short of its 1,558-jet goal and is divesting 250 older aircraft in FY2025 while only procuring 91, a net loss.

-The U.S. risks losing air dominance not to superior technology, but to China’s “leap-frog” speed and mass production.

Can the U.S. Catch Up to China’s Fighter Production Capacity?

The competition for air superiority between the United States and China is very real—and the days of unmatched American technological capabilities are over.

While Chinese pilots lack experience, its air force is catching up—and raw fleet size alone is no longer decisive either. What matters now is how fast a nation can quickly iterate new platforms, integrate them into its force, and field new fighter and aircraft capabilities.

At the forefront of all of this?

The J-36, China’s upcoming stealth jet, offers a look at just how quickly Beijing is moving with new stealth-fighter technology.

What We Know About the J-36

Images published on Chinese social media appear to show a second prototype of the famed J-36 (a speculative designation for the platform) less than a year after the first image surfaced in December 2024.

The new airframe reportedly features a three-engine layout, delta wing configuration, a side-by-side cockpit for two pilots, revised inlets, and a flat, two-dimensional thrust-vectoring exhaust nozzle system similar to that of the U.S. F-22. 

U.S. Air Force Gen. Kevin B. Schneider, Pacific Air Forces commander, pilots the lead F-22 Raptor rendezvousing with a C-17 Globemaster III, both from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, during a mission off the coast of O‘ahu, April 8, 2025. PACAF provides ready and lethal forces to ensure stability and security in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Emerson Nuñez)

Earlier prototypes used recessed exhausts designed to reduce infrared signature, and the apparent change – according to the new images – signals a possible trade-off in terms of stealth for enhanced maneuverability. In addition, the landing gear configuration has changed from tandem to side-by-side wheels, and the intakes have also become diverterless supersonic inlets (DSI) likely aimed at improving internal volume and airflow stability.

To date, no details have been confirmed about its power plant. However, speculation suggests that the prototype is temporarily using WS-10 engines, with the expectation that the more advanced WS-15 will be used in the final version.

The result is a design that goes well beyond a simple fifth-generation fighter, leaning more towards a sixth-generation command-and-air-superiority aircraft capable of coordinating unmanned assets (loyal wingmen) and operating across domains.

Rapid Design Changes

It’s hard not to notice just how rapidly China is changing the design of this aircraft. These visible design changes occurring so quickly is a break from the norm, with most modern fighter programs typically taking years to change airframe configurations. But if these images are to be believed, China is making massive changes to the platform within the span of months, not years.

It suggests an entirely new kind of development model that, in many ways, reflects how China does business: rapidly experimenting with new technologies using the country’s impressive manufacturing and technological infrastructure.

The country that manufactures much of the world’s technology is using its decades of experience in creating streamlined, efficient production lines to catch up with American military technology.

If Beijing keeps it up, the United States will need to adapt to stay ahead and avoid being leap-frogged by an increasingly aggressive China. And while rapid innovation like this may not be perfect in the short term, it could prove successful.

To paint a picture of China’s impressive industrial capacity: there are reportedly more than 300 J-20s in service right now, with five production lines capable of building a new aircraft every eight days. That kind of capacity means China will soon be equipped to engage in major global conflicts, and even with less combat experience among its pilots, fielding that many aircraft could easily put China ahead.

Chinese J-20 Fighters. Image Credit: PLAAF.

How the U.S. Is Responding

The United States is by no means standing still on this. The F-22 is undergoing an upgrade that will see it fitted with improved radars, electronic warfare systems, cockpit displays, and enhanced integration with next-generation missiles, such as the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM).

The AIM-260, in turn, is being positioned as the successor to the AIM-120 AMRAAM, with the Air Force and Navy both seeking funding to begin production.

But despite this, U.S. capacity concerns persist. In August, the Air Force told lawmakers that it requires a fighter fleet of 1,558 manned, combat-coded fighters—some 300 more than it currently has.

Separately, U.S. Air Force leaders said that in fiscal year 2025, the service sought to divest 250 aircraft while procuring only 91 replacements, reflecting mounting readiness and inventory challenges. The U.S. is doing something, but clearly more needs to be done.

The pace of China’s J-36 program tells us this: the competition for air dominance is no longer only about who has the best jet, nor is it even just about how many aircraft an air force can field in the short term. In the long term, the force that wins will be the one that evolves the fastest—and at present, China is clearly winning that competition.

If the U.S. cannot match China’s speed of innovation and production, technological superiority alone will no longer guarantee its control of the skies.

But can the U.S. catch up in time?

About the Author:

Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.

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