The Navy of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA Navy) has taken another step towards eliminating the last advantages over the US Navy, receiving a new deck-based stealth fighter known as the J-35, Breaking Defense writes.
The American publication notes that officials from Washington were concerned about new images of the J-35 that appeared on the network, where the Chinese plane is located next to the aircraft carrier. According to Captain James Fanell, an officer of the US Navy Intelligence Department, the PLA Navy "continues to turn into the most powerful fleet on the planet."
Breaking Defense recalls that the J-35, formerly known as the J-31, resembles the American fifth-generation fighter F-35 Lightning II in appearance, differing from the latter by having two engines instead of one. The publication notes that the first versions of the J-31 received Russian powertrains.
According to Fanell, the reason why Washington continues to be surprised by Beijing's developments "is the complete lack of transparency on the Chinese side."
In June 2020, Popular Mechanics magazine wrote that if the J-35 aircraft is adopted, China will become the second country after the United States that has light (medium) and heavy fifth-generation fighters at once. The American edition drew attention to a publication in the Chinese press, according to which flight tests of a new fifth-generation fighter are planned for 2021. Initially, such fighters received Russian power plants, and the upcoming tests of the new FC-31 may indicate, as the magazine wrote, that China has coped with the task of import substitution of the corresponding engines. According to Popular Mechanics, the J-35 will receive the third Chinese aircraft carrier equipped with an electromagnetic catapult.
Ivan Potapov
