China unveils J-35A and other new fighters at Zhuhai Airshow

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — China’s premier defense exhibition, Zhuhai Airshow, opened its gates this week headlined by the J-35A fifth-generation fighter as well as a J-15T fighter designed for catapult operations aboard aircraft carriers.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is a secretive organization, but it uses events like the Zhuhai Airshow to unveil new equipment for the armed forces. This applies to the J-35A, which appeared emblazoned in PLA Air Force (PLAAF) markings.

As the J-35A joins the J-20 in Chinese service, China becomes the second nation in the world to operate two different fifth-generation, stealthy fighters. The only other country to achieve this is the U.S., which flies the F-22A Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.

Regarding the debut of the stealthy J-35A, Rick Joe, an observer of Chinese military matters who frequently posts on Twitter, now X, said: “The J-35A being formally adopted by the PLAAF, and them confirming it, is not a complete surprise, because in the last year there has been some noise that they’ll be procuring it.”

Three J-35As have appeared to date, all with slight differences, making Joe doubtful that “they’re operational in any frontline capacity.” However, he believes the PLAAF may have received aircraft for initial operational testing and evaluation. Its current engines are WS21 turbofans, though the intended engine is the WS19.

The J-35A is derived from Shenyang Aircraft Corporation’s J-35, which is destined to join the PLA Navy (PLAN) as a fighter operating from Chinese aircraft carriers.

Manufacturer Chengdu’s J-20 production has likely already surpassed 300 aircraft. As in previous years, the J-20 put in aerobatic performances at Zhuhai Airshow 2024.

Also at Zhuhai, state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) displayed a mockup of the twin-seat J-20S, its first public display. Its declassification indicates it is moving beyond a mere technology demonstrator. This is the world’s first twin-seat stealth fighter, where the backseat operator could control drones as part of manned-unmanned teaming.

Chinese state-owned aircraft conglomerate AVIC showed a mock-up of its twin-seat J-20S at the Zhuhai Airshow on Nov. 12, 2024. (China Military)

Quoted by Chinese media, AVIC spokesperson Wu Jiwei said the twin-seat J-20S is designed for long-range operations and its multifunction capabilities include air superiority, precision strikes against land and sea targets, battlefield situational awareness, electronic jamming and tactical command and control.

Four examples of the J-20S have been visually identified to date.

Weapons and carriers

The J-35A’s internal weapons bay is thought to be similar in size to that of the J-20′s, and one new weapon expected to arm both is the PL-15E long-range air-to-air missile. Shown at Zhuhai, this new missile has folding tails, which take up less space, potentially increasing the missile load per plane.

The PLAN’s J-15T also made its debut at Zhuhai Airshow 2024. Fitted with a catapult towbar on its nose gear, the J-15T is designed to operate aboard China’s newest aircraft carriers.

Also present at the same air show was a J-15D, an electronic warfare variant for carrier operations. It is the Chinese equivalent of the U.S. Navy’s EA-18G Growler.

AVIC also displayed a full-size mock-up of a “fantasy” sixth-generation fighter at Zhuhai. While this sci-fi concept might garner media attention, it gives little indication of where tight-lipped Chinese designers are truly going with their next-generation fighter.

Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries around the Asia-Pacific region.

新西兰基督城——中国最重要的国防展览会珠海航展本周开幕，展出了歼-35A第五代战斗机以及专为航空母舰弹射起飞而设计的歼-15T战斗机。

中国人民解放军是一个行事低调的组织，但它会利用珠海航展等活动来展示军队的新装备。歼-35A战斗机就是如此，它在航展上以解放军空军的标志亮相。

随着歼-35A加入中国空军的歼-20战机服役，中国成为世界上第二个同时装备两种不同第五代隐形战斗机的国家。此前唯一做到这一点的国家是美国，美国装备了F-22A猛禽战斗机和F-35闪电II战斗机。

关于隐形战机歼-35A的首次亮相，经常在推特上发帖的中国军事观察员里克·乔（现名X）表示：“歼-35A被解放军空军正式采用，并且他们也确认了这一点，这并不完全出乎意料，因为在过去一年里，一直有传言说他们将采购这款战机。”

迄今为止，已出现三架歼-35A战斗机，彼此略有不同，这让乔怀疑“它们是否已投入一线作战”。不过，他认为解放军空军可能已经接收了这些飞机用于初步作战测试和评估。该机目前配备的是WS21涡扇发动机，但计划使用的发动机是WS19。

J-35A 源自沈阳飞机公司的 J-35，J-35 注定要加入中国人民解放军海军（PLAN），成为从中国航空母舰上起飞的战斗机。

成都飞机工业株式会社的歼-20产量可能已经超过300架。与往年一样，歼-20在2024年珠海航展上进行了特技飞行表演。

同样在珠海航展上，中国航空工业集团公司（AVIC）展出了双座型歼-20S战斗机的模型，这是该机首次公开亮相。其解密表明，歼-20S已不再仅仅是一架技术验证机。它是世界上第一款双座隐形战斗机，后座飞行员可以操控无人机，实现有人-无人协同作战。

2024年11月12日，中国国有飞机制造集团公司中航工业在珠海航展上展示了其双座型歼-20S战斗机的模型。（中国军方）

据中国媒体报道，中航工业发言人吴继伟表示，双座歼-20S战机专为远程作战而设计，其多功能能力包括空中优势、对陆地和海上目标进行精确打击、战场态势感知、电子干扰和战术指挥控制。

迄今为止，已通过目视识别出四架歼-20S战斗机。

武器和载体

歼-35A的内部武器舱尺寸据信与歼-20的类似，而PL-15E远程空空导弹预计将成为这两款战机的标配武器。这款新型导弹在珠海航展上亮相，其尾翼可折叠，占用空间更小，有望增加单架飞机的导弹载弹量。

中国人民解放军海军的歼-15T战斗机也在2024年珠海航展上首次亮相。歼-15T的前起落架上装有弹射牵引杆，其设计用途是在中国最新的航空母舰上执行任务。

在同一场航展上，还展出了一架歼-15D，它是用于航母作战的电子战型战机，相当于美国海军的EA-18G“咆哮者”电子战飞机。

中航工业在珠海航展上还展示了一款“幻想版”第六代战斗机的全尺寸模型。虽然这款科幻概念机或许能吸引媒体关注，但它并不能揭示一向守口如瓶的中国设计师们究竟在下一代战斗机上朝着哪个方向发展。

戈登·阿瑟是《防务新闻》的亚洲特派记者。在香港工作20年后，他现居新西兰。他曾到访亚太地区约20个国家，参加过军事演习和防务展览。