Key Points – New leaked images of China’s sixth-generation J-36 fighter-bomber reveal an unorthodox design optimized for range and stealth, posing a challenge to US air power in the vast Indo-Pacific.
-The photos show a heavy, tailless delta-wing airframe with a side-by-side two-seat cockpit, similar to an F-111 or Su-34.
-The new plane has one mission: to ensure China can compete and win in any conflict against Taiwan, the U.S., or any U.S. ally.
-Most notably, the design features three engines, with one fed by a dorsal intake on the aircraft’s back, and three internal weapons bays.
-This configuration suggests a significant internal fuel and payload capacity, emphasizing long-range strike capabilities to counter the “tyranny of distance” and exploit the vulnerability of the US aerial tanker fleet.
Meet the J-36: China’s Answer to the ‘Tyranny of Distance’ in the Pacific?
New photographs of China’s J-36 fighter-bomber leaked online, providing a heretofore unique view of the jet’s frontal aspect.
This view had been lacking among the meager video and photo evidence of the aircraft that have been posted online. The image, available here on X, formerly Twitter, is both strange and revealing.
The image of the J-36 is taken from the ground and shows a two-man cockpit, with each seat given its own heads-up display.
The airplane’s cockpit arrangement is unorthodox, though not unheard of. The side-by-side pilot and weapon station officer seating arrangement was a feature of the Soviet-designed Su-34 as well as the American F-111.
The photograph, taken of a desktop still image, also reveals the J-36’s unusual dorsal engine intake placement atop the aircraft’s back. That intake feeds the Chinese plane’s centrally located third engine — a remarkable break from combat aircraft orthodoxy, which, for jets with more than one engine, has often favored an even-numbered set of engines. Although some smaller fighters, such as Saab’s Gripen E or Lockheed Martin’s F-35, are single-engine aircraft, continent-splitting long-range bombers like the U.S. Air Force’s B-52 Stratofortress have a whopping eight engines, four to a side, arranged in two-engine pods.
Striking at Range
The jury is still out on whether the J-36 is better described as a heavy fighter or a tactical bomber of some kind.
What is clearer, however, is the J-36’s emphasis on stealth and range. This trend is also evident in other recently revealed aircraft.
Take the F-47 for example. That jet, the U.S. Air Force’s sixth-generation fighter, likely shares the J-36’s tailless airframe design, a consideration that reduces the airplane’s radar-cross section, an essential metric for stealth aircraft, with the added benefit of reducing drag and increasing range.
Despite limited photographic evidence, China’s J-36 appears to have multiple weapons bays. A pair of smaller weapons bays on the outside-facing parts of the fuselage complement a large, centrally located bay.
One of the attributes typically attributed to sixth-generation aircraft is the ability to network with smaller, unmanned aerial vehicles, such as the “Loyal Wingman” aircraft, which a piloted vehicle commands and directs, much like a quarterback.
While it is assumed that China’s J-36 would have a similar ability, this remains to be definitively answered. However, given the Chinese jet’s large size, the J-36 likely has considerable internal volume for both weapons and fuel. Ultimately, the size of the jet fuel tank may matter more than the type of weapons the aircraft is carrying.
The Indo-Pacific and the Tyranny of Distance
The Indo-Pacific is by far the largest American combat command. Some of the world’s most populous countries, including India and China, as well as a significant portion of the world’s manufacturing, are located in the Indo-Pacific.
World microchip production is in the Indo-Pacific, as it is the world’s largest Muslim country by population (Indonesia), as well as the world’s largest Communist country (China).
But much of the Indo-Pacific is open ocean. Thousands of miles of blue separate the flecks of sand that dot the ocean’s surface in that region. In a theater as vast as the Indo-Pacific, fuel efficiency — range — is of utmost importance. It is also an area where the United States struggles.
The American tanker fleet, across all branches of the armed forces, is the largest in the world — a good starting position. However, much of the tanker fleet is essentially civilian airliners modified to ferry vast amounts of fuel around the battlefield.
However, given their origin in the civilian market, those aircraft are less survivable in a concerted, modern, and contested aerial environment. This logistical node — getting fuel to the aircraft that need it — may be an Achilles heel for the United States military.
J-36: What Now?
While this latest image sharpens any guesses at the J-36 attributes, those estimations are, at best, educated guesses and largely speculative. However, one of the major takeaways for the United States is a potential operational bottleneck represented by the current air-to-air refueling tanker fleet.
Cognizant of the fueling challenge, the upcoming F-47, the sixth-generation fighter for the U.S. Air Force and successor to the F-22 Raptor, will have a greater range than the Raptor, thanks to increased internal volume that accommodates additional fuel. However, the survivability of what is, in essence, a civilian aerial tanker fleet is a cause for concern.
The Pentagon has conducted research and testing into a next-generation stealth tanker. However, the program’s timeline to get off the drawing board and into the air is nebulous. What is clearer is that surviving in the air during the next war will be a challenge.
Increasing combat radii through measures like increasing internal volume could prove to be an invaluable engineering addition.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
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