China's new stealth fighter causes a stir, looks exactly like the US F-35

According to Reuters , the 5th generation stealth fighter J-35A is becoming the center of attention at the 2024 Zhuhai International Airshow. The J-35A is China's second stealth fighter model and is about to be deployed to the country's air force.

Although the J-35 and its air force variant J-35A have been developed by China for more than 10 years, there is still very little information about this stealth fighter. What experts remember most about the J-35 is that its external design has many similarities with the US F-35 aircraft.

The J-35A is expected to perform in the air at the opening ceremony of the Zhuhai International Airshow tomorrow, November 12. In addition to the J-35A, two other stealth fighter lines also appeared in Zhuhai: the J-20 (China) and the Sukhoi Su-57 (Russia).

The design of the J-35 stealth fighter is said to have many similarities with the F-35.

Military analysts say there are still many mysteries surrounding the J-35 development program, although this stealth fighter may have inherited the achievements of the J-31 prototype built by China more than 10 years ago.

According to expert Collin Koh of Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, China has a habit of keeping all of its military programs secret, making it difficult to assess the performance of the J-35 just by looking at its external design.

Expert Collin Koh also commented that there should be no doubt about China's achievements in developing stealth fighter jets, the success of the J-20 has proven this.

The two stealth fighter versions J-35 and J-35A were designed and manufactured by Shenyang Aerospace Corporation, which also developed the J-20 and J-31.

According to the People's Daily , the J-35A version is designed primarily for air superiority missions. In terms of size, the J-35 is significantly smaller than the J-20 - the current main stealth fighter of the Chinese air force.

At present, the Chinese Air Force has more than 200 J-20s in service and they have been in service since 2017.

According to Mr. Collin Koh, what makes many experts wonder is that the J-35's exterior design is quite similar to the US F-35 stealth fighter. The difference between them is that the J-35 uses two engines, while the F-35 has one.

J-35 fighter jets perform in Zhuhai before the opening day of the exhibition. (Photo: Global Times)

This may come from the fact that China has not yet solved the efficiency problem of its domestic jet engine lines.

To solve the engine problem, China developed the advanced jet engine WS-19 with 10% higher efficiency than WS-13. Many sources show that Shenyang Corporation equipped WS-19 for J-35 versions.

Engine technology is crucial to advanced fighter aircraft because it directly affects the aircraft's range, weapons and equipment carrying capacity.

“There is no certainty about the J-35’s design and performance based solely on the Zhuhai demonstration flights,” said Peter Layton, a defense and aviation expert at the Griffith Asia Institute.

In addition to the engine, another issue that analysts are most interested in right now is whether the J-35 will participate in China's new-generation aircraft carrier program. Although Beijing has up to three aircraft carriers, they are still limited by their combat range.

The appearance of a stealth fighter on a ship could help the Chinese navy reach beyond East Asia.

Tra Khanh (Source: Reuters)

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/tiem-kich-tang-hinh-moi-cua-trung-quoc-gay-sot-hinh-dang-giong-het-f-35-my-ar906682.html