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
Colombians are heading to the polls on Sunday to elect their next president. The country's constitution prevents the current President, Gustavo Petro, from running for a second term.
Yet, many see this election as a referendum on the policies of Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first leftist president.
There are 14 candidates on Sunday's ballot, but the polls show it will likely be a tight three-way race.
The frontrunner is Ivan Cepeda, a 63-year-old three-term senator, representing President Gustavo Petro's party, the Historic Pact coalition. Cepeda has vowed to defend and deepen Petro's progressive reforms and social justice policies to reduce inequality. He also promises to continue the government's controversial "Total Peace" strategy to negotiate the disarmament of remaining guerrilla groups and criminal gangs.
"True prosperity comes from equality, from access to rights, and from transforming the peripheral and excluded territories of the rural world," Cepeda said at a campaign rally.
Running as a political outsider and independent is Abelardo de la Espriella, a 47-year-old lawyer, nicknamed "The Tiger." He has presented himself as the "authority and order" candidate who will reduce state spending by up to 40 percent in the next four years.
"(First,) we must fight insecurity. Colombia is suffering today from a pandemic of insecurity. Crime is out of control: extortion, cattle theft, smuggling, drug trafficking," he said to his supporters at an election event.
According to polls, the third candidate with strong support is Paloma Valencia. The 48-year-old senator represents the Democratic Center party led by popular former President Alvaro Uribe Velez. Her candidacy is backed by politicians and economists who are concerned with growing levels of public debt. They want to see a return to more conservative fiscal policies.
"I don't want to be a president who governs alone, locked away in glass offices. I want to be a president who stands with citizens, who embraces them, who reaches out to them, who has a team, and who governs to transform Colombia," the candidate said at the campaign event
According to polls earlier in the year, many voters are expressing concerns about unemployment, rising living costs, corruption, and, above all, public security.
The election comes after a turbulent year that the International Committee of the Red Cross has called "the worst humanitarian consequences of armed conflict over the past decade."
"(We arrive at this election in a tense atmosphere - tense) because of the economic situation, because of the security situation, and because of the narratives that have been built around the country's main problems. On top of that, emotions, ideas and social media have all helped raise (the tone,)" said Eduardo Velosa, associate professor from International Studies Javeriana University.
If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be held between the top two finishers on June 21st.
Colombians prepare to choose their next president
