China’s J-35 Stealth Fighter: Inside the Navy’s New F-35 Rival
The J-35 naval variant traces back to the FC-31 “Gyrfalcon” program, with its first carrier-focused prototype flight in late October 2021 featuring enlarged folding wings, reinforced landing gear, and a catapult launch bar. By mid-2025, evidence indicates the J-35 naval version has entered low-rate initial production, with photos showing PLAN markings and serial numbers 0011 and 0012 on two examples. The land-based J-35A first flew on September 26, 2023 and was publicly unveiled at Airshow China in November 2024 wearing PLAAF insignia and the number 75. The J-35 is a twin-engine, single-seat stealth fighter about 17.3 meters long with an