Key Points and Summary – China’s JH-XX—also dubbed J-36—is a stealthy, medium bomber/fighter-bomber reportedly built by Chengdu to sit between the J-20 fighter and H-20 strategic bomber.
-First publicly observed on Dec. 26, 2024, with more sightings in spring 2025, the prototype features a modified diamond/delta wing and a rare trijet layout: two side intakes plus a dorsal intake feeding three closely spaced rectangular exhausts.
J-36 Fighter from China. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-Open sources suggest a ~1,200-mile combat radius and supersonic performance, but most specs remain unconfirmed.
-If timelines hold, an operational date around 2030 is possible.
-Paired with the H-20, the JH-XX could broaden PLAAF strike options and pressure regional air defenses.
The JH-XX Stealth Bomber In One Word: Mystery
In the heady days of the Cold War, as well as the first decade of the post-Cold War era, the “X-Planes” were America’s experimental jet planes and rocket planes that “pushed the envelope,” i.e., boldly expanded the boundaries of aviation technology.
These included (but certainly weren’t limited to): the Bell X-1 that Chuck Yeager used to become the first human to break the sound barrier; the North American X-15 that attained an incredible speed of Mach 6.7; and the Boeing X-32 and Lockheed Martin X-35 that competed for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program (the latter won the competition, thus becoming what we now know as the F-35 Lightning II).
Now that we’re in the mid-2020s and entering into the realm of 6th-generation warbirds, we’re seeing military aviation projects with the “XX” designation. A prime example is the US Navy’s F/A-XX program, which is indeed to replace the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
However, the “XX” designation isn’t just being applied to American warbirds. The People’s Republic of China’s JH-XX medium bomber, AKA the J-36, is a prime example.
JH-XX (AKA) J-36 Initial History and Premise
It’s believed that Chengdu Aircraft Corporation is building the bomber, the same Chinese aerospace conglomerate that manufactures the PRC’s J-20 Wēilóng (“Mighty Dragon;” NATO reporting name “Fagin”) 5th-generation stealth fighter aircraft.
Development began circa 2018, with formal pre-search commencing in January 2019, and scaled prototype designs undergoing wind tunnel and mock-up testing by late 2021.
The J-36 made its maiden flight—or at least the first publicly observable test flight—on December 26, 2024, which coincided with Chairman Mao Zedong’s birthday; additional flights were observed in March and April 2025.
The JH-XX/J-36 represents the PRC’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (PLAAF; Zhōngguó Rénmín Jiěfàngjūn Hǎijūn Hángkōngbīng) second foray into the realm of stealth bombers, following in the footsteps of the Xi’an H-20.
However, whilst the H-20 is a full-sized, subsonic strategic bomber akin to America’s 4th Generation Northrop B-2 Spirit and 6th Generation Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider (and, for that matter, Russia’s beleaguered PAK DA 6th Generation bomber project), the JH-XX is considered a medium-sized tactical bomber/fighter-bomber which will presumably have supersonic capabilities.
The J-36 is wider and heavier than the “Fagin” (as indicated by a tandem-wheeled main landing gear and twin-wheel nose gear), thus splitting the difference between the J-20 and the H-20.
JH-XX (J-36) Technical Specifications & Vital Stats (or Lack Thereof)
Being as it is (1) still in prototype status and (2) a design that’s being kept pretty hush-hush (as can be reasonably expected of any 6th Generation warbird project, especially in a totalitarian society like China’s), the JH-XX’s specifications are still pretty much speculative.
This JH-XX is believed to have a combat radius of 1,200 statute miles (1,931 kilometers; 1,042 nautical miles). Additional details come to us courtesy of Angad Singh, former Project Coordinator for the Strategic Studies Programme at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a think tank based in New Delhi, India:
“The new aircraft’s wing shape is a modified delta/diamond, with a multitude of trailing edge control surfaces, including split outboard ailerons for yaw control and braking. Its leading-edge starts far forward, flowing from the chines of a fighter-style nose cone, with a sharp inboard sweep angle until about a third of the way down, where the sweepback relaxes, though it maintains an aggressive angle overall. All of this points to a design optimised for high speeds.”
Regarding the plane’s powerplant, Mr. Singh makes this interesting observation: “Uniquely, this aircraft appears to be powered by three engines, instead of the usual two. The central engine is fed by a dorsal intake that seems to be a diverterless supersonic design, while the other two are fed by a pair of conventional trapezoidal intakes below the wing, flanking a voluminous payload bay. All three exit side-by-side at the centre of the aft fuselage, through rectangular exhausts reminiscent of the Northrop YF-23 and B-2 stealth bomber…Assuming similar levels of nozzle performance, this would be a significant technological achievement, undoubtedly helped along by existing Chinese investment into scramjets and hypersonics.”
In other words, to apply Maoist principles, it would be a “Great Leap Forward” in PLAAF stealth technology.
The Way Forward?
Open-source prognostications indicate that the JH-XX could be operational as soon as 2030.
The tandem of both the full-sized H-20 and the medium-sized J-38 would definitely serve as a significant force multiplier and injection of fresh new blood into the PLAAF’s bomber fleet, which currently consists of 209 Xi’an H-6 airframes, which first flew in 1959 and officially entered into operational service in 1969. (The H-6 is a license-built version of the Soviet-designed Tupolev Tu-16 [“Badger”], which in turn was produced from 1952 to 1962.)
The daunting prospect of both of these bombers attaining full operational capability (FOC) underscores the need for America’s fighter fleet to maintain a cutting edge that will make it feasible to intercept the 6th Chinese bomber, whether via 6th Generation fighters such as the B-47 Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) plane and the F/A-XX mentioned above, or enhanced versions of current 5th Generation stealth fighters such as the F-22 “Super Raptor” and the “Ferrari” F-35.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the newly published book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearms: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series.”
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