What do we know so far about China's advanced J-36 and J-50 fighter jets?

The Star

12-06-2025

China's two next generation stealth fighter jets – known as the Chengdu J-36 and the Shenyang J-50 – stunned the world when they seemingly emerged out of nowhere on December 26 last year.
Over the past six months, more sightings and the resulting images and witness reports have given us an increasing amount of detail about the two advanced and yet mysterious aircraft. Here is what we know about them so far – as well as some of what we do not. Chengdu J-36
Also nicknamed the 'Gingko leaf' because of its shape, the name of this aircraft, developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAIC), has never been officially disclosed.
It is known as the J-36 because of the serial number '36011' that was painted on the prototype jet in the first images – similar to the initial J-20, which bore the number '2001'.
The J-36's distinctive diamond shape derives from its delta wing platform design, which could greatly reduce air drag when the plane is cruising at high speed. The aircraft is also distinctively tailless – essential for radar evasion.
Other unique aerodynamic features include trailing edge control surfaces per wing and split flaps close to the wingtips. These configurations further streamline the airframe while making up for the loss of manoeuvrability.
The J-36 is powered by an unorthodox three engines, which are believed to be the same WS-10C Taihang that is used in the J-20. They could also be upgraded to the WS-10 thrust-vectoring version or the more advanced and powerful WS-15 Emei.
The engines also use different inlets, with the one on the dorsal featuring a diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI) air intake with a compression bump. The two ventral engines use Caret inlets that have adjustable ramps to ensure high-speed performance.
The trio of engine exhausts is arranged in a petal design – similar to the United States' experimental YF-23 aircraft in the 1980s – which is said to provide better management of airflow temperature while reducing infrared observability.
Most of the J-36's unusual design features are aimed at improving stealth, suggesting the aircraft has also been equipped with a considerable capability upgrade against radar and electro-optic detection in all directions compared to fifth-generation fighters.
In its first appearance, the J-36 was accompanied by a J-20S chase plane, providing clues about its size. Based on the images from that day, the aircraft is at least as long as the 21-metre (65.6 feet) J-20, if not slightly longer, but almost double its 3-metre (9.84 feet) wingspan.
The estimated size of the J-36 serves as a baseline for conjecture about its other specifications, such as its empty weight, take-off weight, speed, fuel capacity, combat range, armament capacity, and so on.
The only thing we can say for sure is that this plane is significantly larger than the heavyweight fifth-gen J-20 fighter, which would allow abundant space for more armaments as well as radar and other advanced avionics.
This has led to some speculation about whether the J-36 is more of a bomber. For the sake of its stealth profile, the aircraft's weapon bays are hidden, with one popular theory suggesting that its firepower could greatly exceed the J-20.
According to this theory, the J-36 has one main bay in the fuselage belly that can carry up to six or eight long-range missiles, as well as two side bays, each capable of holding two smaller missiles.
Another guess is that the J-36's cockpit might be twin-seated with a side-by-side seat arrangement. This has not been confirmed by clearer images, but if true, could be intended for better drone control. Shenyang J-50
There have been fewer close-up eyewitness reports about the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) fighter compared to its Chengdu counterpart.
As another tailless stealth fighter, the smaller J-50 has a number of similar aerodynamic features, including movable wingtip control surfaces to enhance stability and manoeuvrability.
The J-50 has a lambda wing platform design – a shape that has been compared to a brown needletail, a large swift that gets its name from the spined ends of its tail – a conventional structure in stealth fighters that stabilises flight while reducing the radar cross-section.
It is powered by two engines – possibly thrust-vectoring WS-10B/C types that would provide stronger manoeuvrability – with sophisticated DSI inlets to increase the aircraft's stealth.
The J-50's size can also be estimated, thanks to its appearance alongside a J-16 in the available images. These show that it is almost the same length as a J-16 but with a wider wingspan.
Because it is not as big as the J-36, there has been speculation that the J-50 could be fitted for aircraft carriers. Two symmetrical weapon bays under the fuselage are believed to be large enough for the PL-17, China's most powerful long-range air-to-air missile.
Neither the Chinese military nor the two developers CAIC and SAC have made any remarks about the two aircraft, so the timetable for their development and expected service time – as well as how many are planned – is absolutely unknown. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST