Two Years Since Its First Public Appearance! Unveiling the Secrets Behind the J-35A's "Stealth Technology"

Today (the 12th) marks the second anniversary of the first public appearance of China's independently developed medium-sized stealth multi-role fighter jet, the J-35A. On November 12, 2024, over Zhuhai Jinwan Airport, a matte gray aircraft roared through the sky, stunning the audience with its "Mach Ring." The J-35A officially made its public debut and completed its first flight demonstration, heralding the shocking launch of the Chinese Air Force's "dual stealth" era.

As a new stealth fighter, what are the "secrets" behind the J-35A's "stealth technology"? What key upgrades has it achieved in avionics perception and weapon compatibility?

The J-35A is a medium-sized stealth multi-role fighter jet independently developed by China, featuring a single-seat, twin-engine design, officially codenamed "Yunlong." It possesses low detectability and excellent flight performance, serving as a significant component of the stealth and anti-stealth combat system, primarily focused on air superiority operations while also capable of ground attack, with outstanding overall combat effectiveness.

In terms of stealth, the J-35A employs an integrated low detectability design rather than a single coating. Its shape features a blended wing-body, double rear-swept outward-leaning vertical tails, all-moving horizontal tail, and DSI air intakes, which help reduce radar wave reflection. The seams of the hatches follow the edge alignment principle, combined with integrated precision manufacturing, to minimize gap scattering. The cockpit cover is coated with a conductive stealth film, which compresses radar reflection signals to achieve multi-directional stealth.

In terms of avionics perception, the J-35A is equipped with a new generation of active phased array radar, which not only has a longer detection range but also possesses some capability to detect stealth targets. The electro-optical detection window located beneath the nose has optical detection capabilities. The entire system supports sensor fusion and interacts with the helmet-mounted display, enabling collaboration through high-speed data links with the J-20 and drones.

Military commentator Shao Yongling: In terms of weapon compatibility, the J-35A features an internal weapons bay, allowing it to carry medium-range missiles and short-range air-to-air missiles in stealth mode. The wings also have external hardpoints reserved for carrying ground-attack and anti-ship munitions in non-stealth mode.

The J-20, as a heavy high-end fighter, has a relatively high unit cost; whereas the J-35A, as a medium fighter, has controllable costs and great potential for mass production. The combination of the two can form a stealth fighter system with a high-low mix, making China's fifth-generation fighters capable of large-scale deployment as an aerial combat force.

Two dragons flying together

"Yunlong" and "Weilong" complement each other

After the J-20 opened the door to China's fifth-generation fighters with its high-end heavy fighter stance, the J-35A filled the gap for medium-sized stealth fighters. One heavy and one medium, they complement each other with different focuses.

Military commentator Shao Yongling: The J-20 is positioned as a high-end heavy fighter, tasked with striking high-value targets, while the J-35A is a medium fighter. The relationship between the two is not simply a matter of who is stronger or better; rather, they complement each other, with clear distinctions in design philosophy and mission scenarios. The J-35A has a moderate size, lower cost, and easier maintenance, making it more suitable for large-scale deployment. Therefore, its positioning is that of a scalable general-purpose stealth fighter, primarily addressing the demand for mass deployment of China's fifth-generation fighters.

The first core scenario the J-35A focuses on is conventional air patrol and area air defense. This type of mission does not require the J-20. The J-35A's stealth capability and air combat performance are sufficient. Using it can save the lifespan of high-end heavy fighters and reduce costs. Secondly, it can perform multi-task strikes, executing stealth penetration missions to strike ground air defense positions, radars, ships, and other targets from its internal weapons bay.

If necessary, it can switch to non-stealth mode to carry more munitions, supporting both ground and maritime operations. Additionally, the J-35A also undertakes the function of system collaborative distributed operations. A large number of J-35As can network with early warning aircraft and unmanned wingmen to form a wide-area perception network, executing extensive surveillance and forward reconnaissance missions.

"Yunlong" enters the network

Boosting the Air Force's strategic transformation

No matter how strong the performance of a single aircraft, it can only unleash its maximum value when integrated into a system. In system confrontations, what role does the J-35A generally play? How does it cooperate with other aircraft types?

Military commentator Shao Yongling: In system confrontations, the J-20 is responsible for breaking through. The J-35A is a scalable, reusable stealth multi-role fighter that follows the J-20 into enemy airspace after it creates a breach, undertaking tasks of sustained suppression, clearing, and surveillance.

The J-35A and unmanned wingmen form a key partnership. As a manned aircraft, it can command multiple stealth drones to conduct reconnaissance and lure the enemy, depleting enemy air defense firepower and reducing its own exposure risk. The drones relay intelligence back to the J-35A, which then determines the timing to issue strike orders.

When cooperating with early warning aircraft, the J-35A can operate without radar, maintaining silence while receiving long-range intelligence from the early warning aircraft, relying on external data links to obtain target information, and covertly engaging the enemy to complete interceptions. In other words, the early warning aircraft is responsible for wide-area scanning, while the J-35A is responsible for stealthy approach and precise engagement.

When cooperating with fourth-generation aircraft like the J-16 and J-10C, the J-35A can infiltrate first to locate enemy radar air defense positions, sharing target coordinates with the rear formations to complete stealth reconnaissance and target guidance. The non-stealth fourth-generation aircraft, with their larger payload capacity and longer endurance, are suitable for conducting subsequent large-scale strikes against ground and maritime targets within the protection range of our air defense. The J-35A can also undertake distributed air patrol tasks within the formation, establishing a stealthy alert zone in vast airspace.

Aiming for the future

"Yunlong" is still on the rise

The J-35A is far from the end point; from its initial design, it has reserved ample room for extension. Experts believe that this type of aircraft is destined not to stop at its current state. What path will the J-35A continue to evolve along in the future?

Military commentator Shao Yongling: Developing a two-seat variant is technically feasible, and its core value would be as a command platform for unmanned wingmen. However, the official has not yet announced any related projects. Besides the two-seat variant, I believe an electronic warfare variant is also a possibility. As for foreseeable upgrades for the J-35A, I think there are four aspects.

The first is a power upgrade, which involves equipping it with the full version of the WS-19 engine.

The second is avionics and intelligence upgrades, enhancing its detection capabilities against stealth targets and reducing the pilot's workload through intelligent upgrades.

The third is the expansion of weapons and weapons bay, optimizing the internal weapons bay to accommodate more new munitions and enriching the strike list in stealth mode.

Finally, there will be iterations of stealth details to improve stealth stability in complex environments.

Overall, the J-35A is unlikely to pursue comprehensive upgrades all at once; it will most likely follow a path of incremental, phased iterations.