Decoding the Unique Combat Advantages of the "Yunlong" J-35A

On September 19, the National Defense Education Day, the J-35A fighter jet announced its code name—“Yunlong.” The J-35A continues the Air Force's naming tradition and officially joins the new “Dragon” series of domestic fighter jets. The J-35A is a new generation of medium stealth multi-role fighter jet independently developed by our country. An ancient saying goes: “Cloud follows the dragon, wind follows the tiger. When the giant dragon soars, clouds and mist follow.” This imagery perfectly matches the excellent stealth capability of the J-35A, symbolizing that the aircraft can traverse the sea of clouds, appearing and disappearing without a trace. As summarized by Wang Yongqing, the chief expert of the aircraft's development unit, the J-35A possesses outstanding combat advantages of “detecting the enemy first, striking the enemy first, and seizing the initiative.”

As the “Yunlong” J-35A officially joins the “Dragon” series of domestic fighter jets, what is its positioning within this family?

Military commentator Du Wenlong: A combination of high and low. If the “Yunlong” fighter jet and the current J-20 fighter jet form a basic pattern of light and heavy pairing, we will have many options to choose from when completing different combat missions. Additionally, it can be used in both air and naval operations, as this aircraft can not only perform air superiority missions in the sky but also has a carrier-based version that can seize air superiority over the ocean. Therefore, the unique advantage of this aircraft is something that other fighter jets do not possess.