Key Points and Summary on J-35B – China is signaling a major leap in its naval aviation capabilities with new images and state-run media footage suggesting its J-35 stealth fighter has entered low-rate initial production.
-The carrier-capable J-35B, seen in the background of a broadcast from inside the secretive Shenyang aircraft factory, is expected to form the core of the air wing for China’s new aircraft carrier, the Fujian.
-This development, combined with the new catapult-launch capable J-15T fighter, is part of a deliberate and steady reveal of advanced military hardware, a clear message of growing naval power to the United States and its allies.
The J-35B Aircraft Carrier Fighter Is Coming Soon
WARSAW, POLAND – The People’s Republic of China (PRC) military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), are continuing a steady, incremental release of information about the nation’s most modern weapon systems.
These “drip-drip” type of previously-unreleased images and video are predicted to continue through the next month up until the landmark, giant-sized military parade that is to take place in Beijing on 3 September. This is the official date 80 years ago of the surrender of Japan in 1945 and the end of the war.
Featured prominently among these revelations are those systems that augment the PLA Navy’s (PLAN) power projection capabilities.
Specifically, the new Type 003 CV 18 Fujian “flattop”-design aircraft carrier and the two models of fighter aircraft made at the Shenyang Aerospace Corporation (SAC) that are supposed to operate on this ship.
Meet the J-15T Fighter
The first is the J-15T, which is a modified version of the Sukhoi Su-33 that the initial J-15 design was copied from.
The aircraft has had several structural upgrades in the forward fuselage and to the nose gear so that the fighter can be launched successfully with a catapult, which is a signature feature of the Fujian.
The catapult and the flattop configuration are what make this ship a completely different class of carrier from the PLAN’s previous two ski-ramp carriers, the CV 16 Liaoning and CV 17 Shandong.
The J-15T was featured early in July in a broadcast on China’s state-controlled Central Television (CCTV), when a camera crew from the network was given never-before levels of access to shoot footage from inside of the SAC production facility in northern China.
Not only was the J-15T showcased in this broadcast, with design modifications discussed by one of the company’s engineering staff, but the other major carrier aircraft from Shenyang, the J-35, was also visible.
J-35B Possibly Now in LRIP
Recent images have been released that show two variants of the next-generation, stealthy J-35 fighters, but no mention has been made of them by SAC staff or management.
The CCTV footage showed at least five or six J-35 airframes in the background, which appears to confirm the aircraft has entered serial production.
The fuselage numbers on aircraft visible in the CCTV video were from a series including “040070.” Following regular PLA and Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) nomenclature, this would mean these aircraft were part of a fourth production batch, thereby supporting the assessment that their production has moved beyond the prototype phase.
The aircraft, in its initial prototype form, was seen flying at the Air Show China in 2014, then designated as the FC-31 and powered by two Russian-made RD-93 engines.
At the 2024 Zhuhai expo, the current J-35 configuration was flown, revealing just how much had changed in the design of the aircraft, as well as the performance of its new, Chinese-made engines.
Performance of the previous FC-31 variant fitted with the Russian Klimov RD-93, a modification of the MiG-29’s RD-33 engine, showed the aircraft to be underpowered.
Part of the issue with the RD-93 engine is that it was originally adapted from the RD-33 in a single-engine installation for the Chengdu JF-17 fighter that the PRC jointly produces with Pakistan.
Its performance, as well as achieving adequate thrust levels at all points on the envelope, proved to be inadequate for the twin-engine FC-31. Thus, the earlier versions of J-35 are supposedly equipped with an uprated thrust version of the WS-1.3
Latest J-35B Details
The first of the navalized J-35B prototypes is thought to have made its initial flight in October 2021, seven years after the FC-31’s lacklustre debut.
What is thought to be only the second flying J-35B prototype was subsequently seen in July 2022, but this model was coated with a paint scheme that is the standard for the PLAAF and PLAN stealthy aircraft.
A third aircraft was photographed in flight in September 2023, but there is still some question as to whether it was the B-variant or the land-based J-35A.
A recent image that appeared on a Chinese Weibo posting (meaning it is an unofficial release of information) of two J-35s flying together in formation suggests several features that would indicate these are the J-35B carrier-capable version of the aircraft.
One is that the tails of these aircraft bear the new-style shark markings that are the standard mascot symbol for any PLAN carrier aircraft.
These aircraft also feature a shark motif on their tail fins, which is consistent with the J-15 carrier-based fighters of the PLAN.
Also, these aircraft appear to be powered with the Guizhou WS-21 engine, which has so far been the engine used for powering the carrier version of J-35, instead of the WS-19 seen on the J-35A.
The different engines are supposedly employed as the WS-21 model has better performance in the marine environment.
These are unlikely to be the last photos or other surprise revelations of Chinese-made fighters to be shown to the world between now and 3 September, said a former military intelligence officer who headed the China desk in his country’s service. “Xi Jinping is trying to send a consistent message between now and his big parade on 3 September – this is the buildup. This is the one act after another variety show that keeps telling us how his is now the most powerful military in the world,” he said.
About the Author: Reuben F. Johnson
Reuben F. Johnson has thirty-six years of experience analyzing and reporting on foreign weapons systems, defense technologies, and international arms export policy. Johnson is the Director of Research at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation. He is also a survivor of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He worked for years in the American defense industry as a foreign technology analyst and later as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Departments of the Navy and Air Force, and the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia. In 2022-2023, he won two awards in a row for his defense reporting. He holds a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and a master’s degree from Miami University in Ohio, specializing in Soviet and Russian studies. He lives in Warsaw.
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