China’s New Fighter Aircraft Looks Remarkably Similar to the U.S. F-35

What Happened?

China’s J-35A advanced fighter aircraft was recently unveiled at the Zhuhai Air Show by China’s People’s Liberation Army.

Of China’s new J-35A fighter, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff and General David Allvin said, ‘It’s pretty clear; you could put it side-by-side and see, at least, where we believe they got their blueprints from, if you will.’

The former commander of U.S. Pacific Command Admiral John Acquilino issued an earlier public statement saying, ‘China already has the world’s largest Navy, and will soon have the world’s largest Air Force as well.’

Yesterday, social media accounts of a new Chinese stealth aircraft flying for the first time remained unconfirmed. But if true it would illustrate the continued growth and sophistication of China’s military technology.  

Why it Matters

Dr. Brent Eastwood, author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, recently argued the development of China’s next generation fighter:

‘[May] be the impetus for the United States to continue working on the NGAD (Next Generation Air Dominance). The Under Secretary of Policy nominee, Elbridge Colby, is a China hawk and is likely to fashion a new defense strategy for Trump that would entail the United States fashioning ways and means to keep up with the Chinese. If so, American designers and engineers must create new designs and attempt to keep the NGAD price down. This will be one of the biggest challenges in airplane development for the West. It will also inspire a new arms race with China, which will eat up money and resources from other defense programs.’

The development of the United States 6th-generation NGAD remains uncertain due to program costs. At a projected $300 million per aircraft, the U.S. Air Force’s NGAD may run into resistance from the members of incoming Trump Administration seeking to cut costs and improve government efficiency. 

How it Affects You

China has become more assertive and aggressive in recent years.

That’s particularly so with respect to nearby Taiwan, which China still refers to as its own. Fielding an advanced fighter aircraft that potentially has radar evading capabilities would enhance China’s ability to launch a first strike on Taiwan.

Chinese stealth fighters would also pose a threat to American forces operating in the Indo-Pacific region. Not just because of the potential for an attack but also because stealth aircraft could enable surveillance and intelligence gathering on U.S. assets without detection.

A fleet of operational stealth aircraft would be a game changer in the Pacific region. It would give China more military muscle to flex in a region it already seeks to dominate.

Because stealth aircraft are more difficult to detect with radar, finding and engaging those type of airframes would present a significant challenge to U.S., South Korean, Australian, and Japanese forces in the Pacific.