Last month, attendees of the Paris Air Show viewed a not particularly impressive scale model of the Shenyang J-35, China’s twin-engine, all-weather, multirole stealth fighter. Although it marked the first overseas presentation of the fighter, the mockup was lackluster, especially considering that the aircraft had made its debut appearance at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition last November.

It was particularly noteworthy in that Beijing had kept the aircraft largely under wraps, only to unveil it at the Chinese air show. Instead of offering a second look at last month’s event, the largest air show in the world, Shenyang opted to say, ‘Forget Paris.’

Instead, new videos and a short video of the aircraft in flight have gone viral on social media. According to a post on X from open-source military analysts at the Clash Report, “China’s 5th generation J-35A stealth jet officially entered service with the PLAAF’s 1st Air Brigade, joining J-20s.” The images, as well as the claims that the aircraft is now in service with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), have not been independently verified.

Why Is China Unveiling the J-35A Now?

There has been speculation that Beijing could be rattling........

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