The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has reportedly operationalized its second fifth-generation combat aircraft, the J-35A, as evidenced by the latest images posted by Chinese military watchers.
The induction, yet to be officially verified, would be a massive boost to the Chinese PLA Air Force (PLAAF) amid simmering tensions in the Indo-Pacific.
Two J-35A aircraft were spotted flying alongside two J-20 fifth-generation stealth fighters and a J-16D electronic warfare aircraft. Of these, the recently debuted J-35A has understandably garnered the most interest.
After the photo of the formidable formation went viral on social media, several other images of the J-35A aircraft (sporting two different serial numbers) were posted by popular PLA military watchers, including China military aviation researcher Andreas Rupprecht.
“Based on this image and its serial number 61821, the J-35A is confirmed in PLAAF service flying within the 1st Air Brigade,” Rupprecht wrote on X. Another image was posted subsequently with the aircraft bearing serial number 61820.
Although the information lacks official confirmation, we know that the 1st Aviation Brigade of the PLAAF is located in the Northern Theatre Command (NTC) and is in proximity to Shenyang, which houses the aircraft corporation that has developed the J-35A.
Interestingly, this air brigade also operates the air superiority heavy J-20 stealth fighter.
In addition to the J-35A, its carrier variant—the J-35—has also made an appearance in recent days, and so did the J-20A and the twin-seat J-20S variant.
The spotting of the carrier-based J-35 is also perhaps a major event, as China currently operates an aging J-15, a derivative of the Su-33 that it acquired from Ukraine more than two decades ago.
The J-35 features a folded-wing design and will be stationed aboard the Fujian aircraft carrier, which is scheduled for induction later this year. It is also compatible with Liaoning and Shandong carriers.
J-35A: A Big Boost To PLAAF
With this, the PLA Air Force has become only the second air force in the world to operate two different types of fifth-generation stealth aircraft, if the report about J-35A becoming operational in the PLAAF is confirmed.
So far, only the United States has two operational fifth-generation stealth fighters—the F-35 Lightning II and the F-22 Raptor.
The J-35A’s reported induction signals a major step forward in China’s military aviation, positioning it as a strong player in stealth technology and multi-role combat capabilities. The high-profile appearances of combat aircraft in China have sparked speculation that they are rehearsing for the upcoming military parade in September.
Last month, Beijing announced that it would hold a military parade on September 3 to mark 80 years of its victory in World War II. The parade will feature manned, intelligent, underwater, cyber, electronic, and hypersonic equipment in addition to traditional weapons and equipment. Some reports suggest that it will likely unveil new aircraft that have not been publicly seen before.
The J-35A differs in design from the J-20, which features a canard wing configuration and is a heavyweight fighter designed primarily for air superiority missions comparable to the Raptor.
The J-35A, on the other hand, is a medium-sized fighter with a tailplane wing configuration similar to that of the US F-35 Lightning II aircraft. It is also equipped with surface attack capabilities, as previously reported by the EurAsian Times.
The aircraft appears sleek, featuring an Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) similar to that of the F-35, a forward-hinged canopy, and lacking a pitot tube from the nose radome.
However, the role it will be designated for during air operations is currently unclear due to the paucity of information from official Chinese sources. A larger weapons bay in the future may allow it to undertake a precision strike role.
While the J-35A aircraft appears nearly indistinguishable from the F-35, the Chinese aircraft is powered by two engines, unlike the F-35’s single engine.
Earlier, the US Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. David W. Allvin, said in an interview that China’s new stealth fighter has one unique feature: it appears to be modeled after the F-35. He said, “It’s still fairly new. 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.”
However, the remarkable resemblance between the two aircraft does not imply that their performances will be comparable, as previously explained by EurAsian Times. An aircraft’s combat capabilities are determined by its engines, sensors, avionics, weapon bay capacity, and stealth features. It is too soon to determine how well the two fighters compare.
That said, the operationalization of this aircraft is likely to be closely watched by China’s competitors, such as the US and India. The expansion in China’s military capability has been a cause of alarm for Washington. The USAF boss has warned without mincing words, “Overall, I think we should just be very aware of the scope and the scale—if nothing else, the scope.”
Pakistan Not Sure About J-35A?
Earlier, there were reports that Pakistan was set to induct the Chinese-origin FC-31 fifth-generation stealth fighter, the export variant of the J-35A, to bolster its air power.
The acquisition was seen as a move to counter the Indian Air Force (IAF), which currently relies on 4.5-generation fighters, such as the Rafale and Su-30MKI. It also aligned with Pakistan’s traditional policy of striving to create a capability gap with its arch-nemesis, India.
However, the latest reports suggest that the potential sale has hit a storm.
Khawaja Asif, Pakistan’s defense minister, refuted rumors of a possible agreement involving China’s cutting-edge J-35A stealth fighters in an interview with Arab News. He dismissed those allegations as media conjecture intended to boost China’s defense sales. Speaking to Arab News, Asif said, “We are not buying them”. His rebuttal is a sharp U-turn: “I think it’s only the media…It’s good for Chinese Defence sales”.
Intriguingly, this turnaround comes just a month after a senior unidentified Pakistani official told Jane’s that China will soon begin supplying the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) with its Shenyang FC-31 “Gyrfalcon” multirole stealth fighter aircraft. The aircraft “will begin arriving within months,” and confirmed that PAF pilots are currently in China training to fly the aircraft, the official stated.
Pakistan Defence minister Khwaja Asif has denied reports that China is delivering J35 fighter jets to Pakistan .
Pakistani media and their social media stooges continuously peddling lies that Chine is giving J35 fighter jets to Pakistan in 6 months #riyadh #โหนกระแส #BLACKPINK… pic.twitter.com/SyRsmeA250
— Praveen Kumar (@RigidDemocracy) June 26, 2025
Another Pakistani government insider informed the publication in May 2025 that the purchased FC-31 would be fitted with China’s PL-17 air-to-air missile (AAM), which has a range of 400 kilometers.
The policy change has piqued the interest of observers, with one section saying that it may have been an exaggeration in the wake of tensions with India following the Indo-Pakistan clash. Meanwhile, others have ridiculed the aircraft, saying that it has no buyers.
Nevertheless, it is safe to say that the Chinese aircraft continues to hog the headlines and keep observers on the tenterhooks.
