On November 11, 2026, the Chinese Air Force marked its 77th anniversary. However, the celebrations by state media were rather subdued, refraining from boasting excessively about the capabilities of various warplane models. Instead, experts interviewed by state-run media shared insights into the developmental challenges faced by fighter jets such as the J-35, while the Central Military Commission’s media continued to reference the J-20’s air combat training as “aerial knife-fighting.” It has become clear that the Chinese military and its defense contractors are undergoing a profound reassessment, with persistent issues surrounding weaponry and equipment being exposed.
In its official article titled “Today, Let’s Celebrate the People’s Air Force!” the Chinese military’s website highlighted several aircraft currently in service, beginning with the J-35A. This aircraft is described as a new generation stealth fighter primarily tasked with “gaining and controlling air supremacy,” serving as a “defensive power” against ground or naval forces, capable of intercepting enemy fighters and bombers.
This can be seen as the latest public positioning of the J-35A by the Chinese military, aligning it alongside the J-20 as an air superiority fighter or interceptor, primarily utilized for air combat. The J-35A made its debut in November 2024. Over the past two years, the Chinese government promoted the J-35 as a versatile fighter; however, two years later, the military revised its classification, indicating that it cannot fulfill multi-role fighter missions.
The designation of the J-35 was chosen to mirror the United States’ F-35, and China claimed it was the second country to simultaneously possess two types of stealth fighters outside of the U.S. However, it has now been reluctantly acknowledged that the J-35 cannot perform analogous roles to the F-35.
While Chinese experts draw comparisons between the J-20 and J-35 with the U.S. F-22 and F-35, labeling them as high-low mixes, the realities differ significantly. The F-22 is an air superiority fighter, while the F-35 was designed from the outset as a multi-role aircraft capable of penetrating enemy air defenses for land and maritime strikes, particularly with the ability to deploy tactical nuclear weapons like the B-61. The F-22 and F-35 serve distinct purposes in combat scenarios.
The updated classification of the J-35 implies an overlap in mission capabilities with the J-20, indicating that the Chinese stealth fighters still struggle to perform penetrating airstrike missions, highlighting the considerable gap between them and U.S. stealth technology.
On November 12, a video released by state media showcased the J-35A’s appearance two years post-introduction, featuring a military commentator stating that in stealth mode, the J-35A can carry medium-range and close-range missiles, while in non-stealth mode, it can carry land-attack and naval-attack munitions.
This further confirms that the J-35A’s internal weapons bay cannot accommodate ground-attack or naval-attack weaponry, limiting it to air-to-air missiles, and consequently restricting its mission profile to air combat. Additionally, like the J-20, the J-35A lacks a cannon, making it less effective in close-range dogfights against fourth-generation fighters, with the best option being to accelerate away from a confrontation.
According to promotional data from the Chinese government, the J-35 utilizes a twin-engine configuration but achieves a maximum speed of only 1.8 Mach. In comparison, Taiwan’s F-16, which uses a single engine, can exceed speeds of 2 Mach. The performance of Chinese military aircraft engines still appears to fall short of expectations.
Nevertheless, state media claims that the J-35A fills in “gaps,” presenting it as a complementary aircraft to the J-20. However, the specifics of what gaps the J-35A supposedly fills remain undisclosed, with experts merely noting that the J-35A is more cost-effective and can be produced at scale.
Moreover, the same day, state media aired a video titled “J-35A Two-Year Debut Anniversary: Exploring the Future of ‘Yunlong’.” The phrase “on the way” in the title suggests that the J-35A may still be in a prototype phase.
A military analyst discussing the J-35A’s development hinted that creating a two-seat variant is technically feasible and could serve as a command platform for unmanned aircraft, yet official announcements about such projects have not been made. He speculated on four potential upgrade paths for the J-35A.
The first upgrade involves equipping the aircraft with a complete version of the WS-19 engine, indicating that the J-35A’s engine is not yet up to par.
The second aspect concerns enhancements to the avionics, aimed at improving the detection capabilities against stealth targets, potentially easing the burden on pilots through smart technology upgrades. This suggests that the J-35A struggles to detect enemy stealth aircraft and may require more complex pilot operations.
The third upgrade would expand the internal weapons bay to accommodate a greater diversity of munitions. However, achieving this in the near term seems challenging due to spatial constraints arising from its dual-engine design, which may limit the aircraft’s adaptability compared to the F-35.
The fourth area involves fine-tuning stealth features to improve stealth stability in complex environments, revealing that the J-35A’s stealth capabilities remain inconsistent.
Notably, in the discourse generated by state media, experts hinted at the J-35A’s shortcomings rather than providing affirmative claims about its capabilities.
On November 12, a video titled “J-35A Two-Year Debut Anniversary: Expert Analysis on ‘Yunlong’ Supporting Air Force Strategic Transformation” featured military commentators discussing how the J-20 serves as a breach, creating openings, followed by the J-35A entering enemy airspace in a more scaled approach.
Despite both the J-20 and J-35A being stealth air superiority fighters, experts suggested a sequential approach where the J-20 would first penetrate air defenses, with the J-35A following, ostensibly due to scaling concerns. Nonetheless, contradictory information from Japan’s 2026 defense white paper indicated that the quantity of J-20 aircraft has risen to 308, implying it has already achieved a significant presence. According to Chinese experts, however, there appears to be a need for even more J-35A aircraft, suggesting that the J-20 alone is insufficient to carry out intended missions. This brings to light whether this is merely a strategy to address apparent gaps.
The J-35A, as a stealth fighter, should theoretically penetrate enemy airspace like the J-20; however, its reliance on the J-20’s initial penetration raises questions about the J-35A’s true capabilities in fulfilling the role of a vanguard. This lends credibility to previous reports about the instability of the J-35A’s stealth attributes.
In the envisioned air combat scenarios by Chinese strategists, the Taiwan Strait forms the primary battlefield, with Chinese aircraft frequently engaging in provocative sorties. However, the J-35A’s range is shorter than that of the J-20, making it challenging to operate effectively beyond the first island chain. If its stealth capabilities were sufficient, it could potentially hover over Taiwan, but given recent analyses by Chinese experts, that capability appears doubtful for both the J-35A and the J-20. International observers largely believe the J-20 possesses only adequate frontal stealth and reveals itself from the sides and rear.
Even if the J-35A could breach air defenses, it would only engage in aerial combat rather than support ground operations. Experts hesitated to explicitly state that the J-35A remains below expectations, instead suggesting it would pair with unmanned aircraft, allowing the unmanned platforms to conduct reconnaissance and draw enemy fire while minimizing exposure risks for the J-35A. Such remarks inherently imply that the J-35A faces significant exposure risks.
Experts also asserted that the J-35A could intercept threats without activating radar, relying on long-range intelligence from AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems). However, not using radar could leave the fighter at a disadvantage, functioning reactively unless it receives information from AWACS. This creates a paradox—caught between falling into a passive role without critical intel and the risk of being detected.
In an effort to bolster party-media narratives, state experts have exerted considerable effort into crafting misleading accounts, inadvertently revealing significant truths about the capabilities of Chinese fighters. It appears that within the Chinese military, there remains confusion about how stealth fighters should operate effectively in modern combat scenarios.
Articles from the military reveal that the J-20 embodies advanced technologies such as stealth, super-maneuverability, and supersonic cruising, pointing to ongoing explorations into intelligent air combat.
Official state media released articles celebrating the 77-year journey of the People’s Air Force. Accounts of simulated red-blue air combat training involving the J-20 highlighted a joint exercise where pilot Zhang executed evasive maneuvers to gain a positional advantage over the red team’s J-20, ultimately culminating in a simulated strike.
While this scene illustrates the complexity of modern air engagements, it also underscores a reliance on close-range combat, calling into question the effectiveness of the J-20 given its lack of cannons. Details on how ‘hits’ were secured remain vague, revealing a significant blind spot surrounding the aircraft’s side and rear.
Citing pilot Zhang’s observation about younger pilots embracing innovative tactics during these exercises as “the boldness of aerial knife-fighting,” the narrative frames contemporary air combat training in a nostalgic lens, echoing earlier conflicts where pilots faced off in direct engagements. Yet, using the term “aerial knife-fighting” suggests that the Chinese Air Force’s training methodologies may still be lacking, as it appears that high-tech pilots are resorting to dogfighting tactics despite flying advanced fifth-generation fighters like the J-20.
As of the Chinese Air Force’s 77th anniversary, the party leadership has not conducted inspections at any base units, including the air force, nor issued any directives or commands relevant to air power. State-run news agency Xinhua pieced together an article from past remarks made by the party leader, obliquely addressing efforts to develop a world-class air force. The article revisited statements made during previous inspections, reiterating calls for enhancing talent cultivation and accelerating advancements in combat capabilities.
Ultimately, the status of the J-20, which the Chinese government has heralded as a representation of new combat prowess, remains an ongoing exploration in terms of training and systems development.
On November 11, a video featuring a special commemorative program for the 77th anniversary of the People’s Air Force highlighted humorous anecdotes regarding the J-10 fighter’s participation in the 2020 Singapore Airshow. An interview with a maintenance technician from that event showcased the limitations faced by maintenance crews due to strict personnel restrictions for overseas events.
The technician relayed that during heavy rain, visibility was hindered, leaving the pilot’s actions reliant on guesswork. Nevertheless, the decision was made to proceed with the flight despite the risks, underscoring the pressures within operational contexts.
The technician remarked that upon landing, thorough inspections become essential—a testament to the demands on both pilots and maintenance crews. However, such operational routines raise concerns regarding reliability in real combat situations, where lapses could lead to catastrophic outcomes.
The ongoing purge within the military and defense contracting sectors highlights troubling elements within the ongoing development and production of Chinese fighter aircraft, including the J-35, J-20, and J-16, suggesting deep-seated corruption and fraudulent practices.
With a plethora of internal issues possibly surfacing behind the scenes, the state’s muted celebrations for the 77th anniversary of the People’s Air Force paint a stark picture of underlying vulnerabilities, even as Chinese experts labor to reshape the narrative around its airborne capabilities.