Key Points and Summary – The era of the F-35’s undisputed dominance is being challenged by China’s new J-35A stealth fighter.
-This aircraft is not a simple copycat; it is a purpose-built air superiority fighter designed specifically to hunt other aircraft in a dogfight.
-While the F-35 likely retains a technological edge, the J-35A represents a different strategic approach.
-China plans to leverage its geographical proximity and industrial might to mass-produce these “good enough” fighters, aiming to overwhelm the more advanced but less numerous U.S. forces in a potential war of attrition over the Pacific.
J-35A Fighter Is a Challenge to the F-35
For more than a decade, the American F-35 Lightning II has been the undisputed king of the skies, the benchmark against which all other fifth-generation fighters are measured.
It is a flying supercomputer, a network-centric weapon that has fundamentally changed the nature of air combat. But the era of American monopoly is over. From the design bureaus of the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, a new challenger has emerged: the J-35A.
Dismissed by many early on as a crude copycat, the J-35A has matured at a startling pace into a credible and dangerous adversary. It is the second of China’s stealth fighters, a machine that is not just a symbol of Beijing’s technological ambition, but a direct and pointed answer to American airpower.
Underestimating the J-35A is a potentially fatal mistake. While it may not be a direct equal to the F-35 in every category, it is a purpose-built predator designed to exploit American weaknesses and challenge our long-held dominance in the skies over the Pacific.
A Different Design Philosophy: The Air Superiority Focus
To understand the J-35A, you must first understand that it is not a direct clone of the F-35.
While it clearly benefits from a massive trove of stolen F-35 design data, it represents a different strategic choice.
The F-35 is a true multi-role aircraft, but its design prioritizes the air-to-ground strike mission. The J-35A, by contrast, appears to be a dedicated air superiority fighter, a machine built primarily to hunt and kill other aircraft.
This is evident in its design. The J-35A is a twin-engine fighter, a choice that provides greater thrust and redundancy for high-intensity air combat, a feature many pilots prefer for carrier operations. It is reportedly lighter and sleeker than the F-35, with a design that favors speed and agility. Chinese sources claim a top speed of Mach 1.8, slightly faster than the F-35’s Mach 1.6.
Think of it this way: In a close-in, within-visual-range dogfight, the J-35A’s superior kinematics could give it a crucial edge. While American doctrine rightly emphasizes beyond-visual-range combat, we cannot simply dismiss the possibility of a merge. The J-35A is not a lumbering strike aircraft; it is a purpose-built dogfighter, and in the tight confines of the Taiwan Strait, that could be a decisive advantage.
Closing the Technology Gap
For years, the West has taken comfort in the belief that China’s aerospace industry lags behind our own by decades, particularly in the critical areas of engines and avionics. The J-35A is a stark and uncomfortable reminder that this gap is closing at an alarming rate.
The aircraft is reportedly equipped with the new, domestically produced WS-19 engines, a significant leap forward from the underpowered Russian-designed engines that plagued early Chinese stealth prototypes. While still likely not on par with the F-35’s world-class Pratt & Whitney F135, they are a massive improvement that provides the J-35A with a competitive thrust-to-weight ratio.
The same is true of its avionics. The J-35A is equipped with a modern AESA radar, an electro-optical targeting system (EOTS) similar to the F-35’s, and a suite of integrated sensors. While its sensor fusion and networking capabilities are almost certainly not as mature as the F-35’s, we must not fall into the trap of complacency.
China is investing billions in artificial intelligence and data integration, and the J-35A is designed to operate as a key node in the PLA’s expanding network-centric warfare architecture. It may not be the “quarterback in the sky” that the F-35 is today, but it is rapidly evolving into a credible competitor.
The Strategic Imperative: Numbers and Proximity
Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the J-35A has nothing to do with its technology, but with simple, brutal geography and economics. The F-35 is an exquisitely expensive and complex machine, and the United States must project power across the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. China, by contrast, is fighting in its own backyard.
The J-35A is designed to be a more affordable, mass-producible stealth fighter than the larger, more complex J-20. This suggests a high-low mix strategy, with the J-35A intended to fill out the ranks of the PLA Air Force and Navy, overwhelming adversaries with sheer numbers.
In the event of a potential conflict over Taiwan, the United States could deploy a few dozen F-35s to the region. China could potentially field hundreds of J-35As, operating from air bases that are virtually unsinkable, just a short flight from the combat zone.
From simulations I have been a part of, numbers have a quality all their own. Even a technologically superior fighter can be overwhelmed by a numerically superior force. The J-35A doesn’t have to be better than the F-35 on a one-for-one basis. It just has to be good enough, and numerous enough, to win a war of attrition.
The J-35A Wake-Up Call
The J-35A is a wake-up call. It is a clear and present danger to American air superiority in the Pacific. While the F-35 likely still holds the technological edge, that edge is shrinking. The J-35A is a potent combination of stolen technology, indigenous innovation, and strategic focus.
It is a fighter that is perfectly tailored to China’s geopolitical ambitions, and one that the United States underestimates at its own peril.
About the Author: Harry J. Kazianis
Harry J. Kazianis (@Grecianformula) is Editor-In-Chief and President of National Security Journal. He was the former Senior Director of National Security Affairs at the Center for the National Interest (CFTNI), a foreign policy think tank founded by Richard Nixon based in Washington, DC. Harry has over a decade of experience in think tanks and national security publishing. His ideas have been published in the NY Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and many other outlets worldwide. He has held positions at CSIS, the Heritage Foundation, the University of Nottingham, and several other institutions related to national security research and studies. He holds a Master’s degree focusing on international affairs from Harvard University.
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