China Has a Sixth-Gen Fighter: What Do We Know About the J-36?

Last month, the People's Republic of China appeared to have leapfrogged the United States in military aviation technology, as a previously undisclosed aircraft recently made its maiden flight. The aircraft in question has been described as a "next-generation" or "sixth-generation" fighter. Though no official designation is known, military analysts have dubbed it the J-36.

"BIG: China's next-generation (6th-gen) fighter jet made its first flight today," the open-source military hardware analyst Clash Report wrote on X on December 26, while sharing images of the large tail-less aircraft.

A video, recorded near the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation's (CAC's) headquarters in Chengdu, Sichuan province, and shared online showed the three-engine aircraft being trailed by the fifth-generation Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter.

China's Fifth-Gen Leap Forward

Beijing typically holds its cards close to its chest, but in November offered a flight demonstration of its fifth-generation Mighty Dragon at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai (aka Airshow China) and unveiled the two-seat variant, the J-20S. That latter is the only twin-seat fifth-gen fighter currently in service.

In addition, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense released teaser images on social media of the Shenyang J-35A, its carrier-based fifth-generation fighter, in advance of the airshow. The twin-engine, all-weather, stealth fighter aircraft on social media took part in a brief aerial performance. It was a short debut for the highly-anticipated fighter, and the demonstration certainly left the audience (and analysts) wanting to see more.

With both the J-20 and the J-35, China has become only the second country after the United States to operate two distinct stealth fighters.

The J-36: What We Know

The appearance of the J-36 would suggest China has made a great leap forward with its military aviation program.

The fact that the video was purportedly recorded near CAC's HQ seems to narrow down the maker. Yet, the capabilities and even function of the aircraft are simply unknown.

As The Diplomat reported, "The leadup to the J-36's emergence holds uncanny similarities to the emergence of the J-20, nearly 14 years ago to the day, showing that history does indeed rhyme. Both were preceded by significant periods of credible rumors and increasingly granular predictions by the Chinese language PLA watching community," adding, "Some have remarked that the date for the J-36's maiden flight might seek to commemorate the December 26 birthday of Mao Zedong, the founder of the People's Republic of China."

Though other milestones indeed occurred on that day, it must be noted that if the aircraft were to be met with disaster such as a crash, it wouldn't be a good day for it to occur. That could put into question whether this was in fact the maiden flight of the J-36 or perhaps simply its first public flight.

The Sixth-Generation Race is Well Underway

The United States Air Force has acknowledged that it has conducted test flights of its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) manned fighter, one component of the sixth-generation system of systems that could also include unmanned drones that serve as loyal wingmen. However, earlier this year, the U.S. Air Force had suggested it would press pause on the NGAD due to cost concerns and fears the technology could be outdated too quickly.

Even as the Air Force has taken a breather, the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX program is now reported to be moving forward.

There are multiple other six-gen programs in the works – including the Global Air Combat Programme (GACP), a joint partnership between the UK, Italy, and Japan; and the Franco-German-Spanish Future Air Combat System (FACS).

Russia's PAK DP – sometimes described as the MiG-41 – is also believed to be in the works, but as previously reportedly by Stavros Atlamazoglou for The National Interest, "skepticism surrounds the project due to past failures like the Su-57 Felon and T-14 Armata tank, both plagued by production and operational issues."

China may be on track to overtake Russia in aircraft design, which should be seen as a worry for Washington as well as its Indo-Pacific allies.

"The successful flight of China's 6th-gen fighter jet represents a new chapter in the global arms race," Army Recognition reported. "As other nations scramble to develop their own next-generation aircraft, the competition for air superiority is poised to intensify."

Meanwhile, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has claimed drones are the future when he suggested on social media only "idiots" are building manned fighters like the F-35. He may not be wrong, but it does appear that the military aviation world is still thinking about manned fighters right now.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

Image: Weibo / Creative Commons.