J-35: The Chinese Air Force's Newest Fighter Jet

The J-35 Gyrfalcon’s relationship with the F-35 Lightning II isn’t just adversarial. The two aircraft could be deemed “cousins.” 

J-35 Gyrfalcon: Doesn’t it Remind You of Something?  

In November, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force revealed the J-35 Gyrfalcon officially at the Zhuhai Air Show.  

The aircraft is the Chinese military’s second stealth fighter jet after the J-20 Mighty Dragon.  

The Chinese stealth fighter jet sports two WS-13E engines, each of which can produce approximately 25,000 lbs of thrust, propelling the aircraft to maximum speeds of around Mach 1.8 (about 1,400 miles per hour).  

In terms of capabilities, not much is known about the specific features of the new aircraft. If one thing is known, it is that Beijing’s newest stealth fighter jet looks uncannily similar to the F-35 Lightning II.  

Speaking about the new Chinese stealth fighter jet, the U.S. Air Force’s top officer acknowledged its similarity to the F-35 Lightning II.  

“It’s still fairly new,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin said in a recent interview with the Air & Space Forces Magazine. “But, yes, 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.”  

But it is just about the looks. The J-35 has almost the same dimensions as the F-35 Lightning II.  

China has a history of stealing and replicating technology from other countries. A close look at the weapon systems of the Chinese military will reveal similarities between American and Russian weapons and munitions. The National Counterintelligence and Security Center assesses that Beijing steals between $200 and $600 billion in intellectual property from the U.S. every year.  

“The Chinese development of their capabilities is something we need to we need to respect and be able to account for,” Allvin said. “One thing that they’ll never catch up on us is the quality of our force, the quality of our entire total force, the quality of our [noncommissioned officer corps], the quality of our aviators, the maintainers, all of that. But I don’t want to make it a close fight.” 

Speaking about the growing Chinese Air Force, the Air Force’s Chief of Staff said “overall I think we should just be very aware of the scope and the scale—if nothing else, the scope.” 

“We have to have an Air Force that can still survive and can execute effectively in many different threat environments,” Allvin added. 

A potential future fight with China will involve hundreds of stealth fighter jets like the J-35 Gyrfalcon and the F-35 Lightning II. Right now, the U.S. military has a clear advantage as it already has hundreds of operational fifth-generation stealth aircraft. But China, even through espionage and not creativity, is closing the gap fast.  

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

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