Shenyang J-35A - Not a F-35, nor a Draken

Surbaissemaxxing · February 21, 2025, 9:38pm

Note: This aircraft is obviously meant for the far future, not now. It is still quite obscure with information.

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Suggestion No.59

G’day lads. I want to suggest one of China’s most advanced stealth aircraft, competing with the F-35 aswell as other nations stealth aircraft, and that is of course the Shenyang J-35A :)

Description:

Spoiler

The Shenyang J-35 is a Chinese twin-engine, all-weather, stealth multirole combat aircraft developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC). It is designed for both air superiority and surface strike missions. The J-35 has two main variants: a land-based version for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), known as the J-35A and a carrier-based version optimized for catapult-assisted takeoff (CATOBAR) for the People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF), whose name is still not known. The J-35 is derived from the FC-31 Gyrfalcon, a stealth aircraft prototype initially developed as a privately funded venture by SAC. The FC-31 made its maiden flight on October 31, 2012, and the J-35 prototype took its first flight on October 29, 2021. The land-based variant, designated J-35A, emerged in 2023 and was officially debuted ahead of the 2024 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition. The J-35 incorporates advanced electronic warfare technologies and stealth features.

History:

Spoiler

The origins of the Shenyang J-35 lie in the FC-31 Gyrfalcon project, developed by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC). The FC-31 was a prototype fifth-generation multirole stealth fighter that first flew on October 31, 2012. Initially unveiled at the 2014 Zhuhai Airshow, the FC-31 was intended to attract international buyers as an export-oriented fighter.

Despite its initial export focus, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) saw the potential in the FC-31 for domestic use. As a result, SAC began refining the design to meet the specific needs of the Chinese military. This effort led to the creation of the J-35, an advanced iteration of the FC-31, which first took to the skies on October 29, 2021. The J-35 prototype underwent extensive testing and evaluation, which included addressing design improvements and performance enhancements.

By 2023, the land-based variant of the J-35, designated J-35A, was developed and prepared for presentation. The aircraft was officially introduced at the 2024 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition. It’s stealth characteristics however still remain unknown, with even less information being available than the Chengdu J-20, which is also a stealth aircraft. As far as I know, the only stealth characteristic that was released is the frontal minimum RCS being 0.01 square meters.

Armaments:

Spoiler

PL-15E “Abaddon” Folding Fins AAM (6x internal, 6x external)

PL-10E AAM (6x external)

Supersonic ASM (Air to Surface Missile) (4x internal, 4x external)

Supersonic ASM (Anti Ship Missile)/ARM (Anti Radiation Missile) (4x internal, 4x external)

500kg deep penetration bombs (4x internal, 4x external)

Small diameter bombs (12x internal, 18x external)

KLJ-7A AESA radar (?)

Distributed aperture system optical early-warning system

Electro-optical targeting system (EOTS-86?)

Specifications:

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The J-35 has a length of 17.30m, a height of 4.80m, a width/wingspan of 11.50m. It has a gross weight of 17500kg, with a MTOW of 28000kg. It is powered by WS-21, sometimes known as WS-13X, which has a thrust of around 93.2kN. This engine however is intended to be replaced with the WS-19 (?). Thanks to the WS-21 engines, it can go around 1400km/h at sea level. It has a frontal minimum RCS of 0.01 square meters according to AVIC (allegedly).