China’s Shenyang J-35A fifth-generation stealth warplane has made the People’s Republic of China only the second nation, after the United States, of course, to field two distinct fifth-generation warplanes. The J-35A’s successful development follows the creation of the Chengdu J-20 as a rival to America’s F-22A Raptor, much as the J-35A is intended to rival the F-35 Lighting II. 

Having first been built as a prototype in 2012, the J-35A represents a quantum leap forward for China’s military capabilities. Indeed, it is a true rival to America’s vaunted F-35. Moreover, while the F-35 took decades to develop and has not lived up to expectations—facing a range of problems including production delays, ballooning costs, and a low readiness rate—the J-35A took only 12 years to test and deploy. And it is no longer a quantity over quality argument. Much like the most recent iterations of China’s J-20, the J-35A represents both quality and quantity. 

Understanding the J-35A

The J-35A is a medium-sized, twin-engine stealth fighter. It is slightly larger than the F-35, but smaller than the J-20. Its design emphasizes low observability, featuring diverterless supersonic inlets (DSI), edge-aligned control surfaces, and internal weapons bays to minimize radar........

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