China's new-generation J-35 stealth fighter will significantly enhance the combat capabilities and operational scenarios of the country's naval aviation forces, a military expert said on Saturday, the 12th anniversary of the formal establishment of China's carrier-based naval aviation forces.
According to Senior Colonel Du Wenlong, the medium-sized J-35 stealth fighter represents a significant upgrade over the J-15 carrier-based fighter jet. Unlike the J-20, a heavy stealth fighter primarily designed for air superiority, the J-35 is a medium-sized, multi-role stealth fighter capable of both air superiority and strike missions against ground and maritime targets.
"From non-stealth to stealth, this generational leap is clearly significant. In the future, stealth penetration and covert attacks can be utilized in open oceans to maximize combat capabilities. Secondly, we can improve takeoff efficiency through the combination of electromagnetic catapults and stealth fighter jets. Compared to ski-jump takeoffs, electromagnetic catapult launches provide a substantial boost in efficiency. This means a significant increase in the number of carrier-based aircraft that can be deployed within a given time frame, greatly enhancing our ability to carry out combat missions in distant seas. As a result, the J-35 is expected to bring about a substantial transformation for naval aviation combat forces," said Du.
The expert further elaborated that intelligent unmanned networks will become a major direction for the development of carrier-based aviation forces in the future.
"In the future, intelligent unmanned networks will become a major direction for the development of carrier-based aviation forces. Currently, the hardware primarily consists of the J-15 and J-35, but the next phase will involve various types of unmanned aerial vehicles -- reconnaissance drones, early warning drones, buddy refueling drones, electronic warfare drones, and attack drones -- which together may form a broad operational spectrum. This shift from purely manned platforms to a combined manned-unmanned force represents a significant and transformative development process," he said.
J-35 stealth fighter to greatly boost China's naval aviation combat capabilities: expert
