China's J-35 Naval Stealth Fighter Looks Set For Service
Wow … as it seems, also the PLAN Naval Aviation has finally revealed its first two operational (?) J-35 fighters.(Image via @沙丘里的回声 from Weibo) pic.twitter.com/CQe9Hcs2FV
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) July 18, 2025
The new photo, which seems to have originally been posted on the Chinese Weibo microblogging website, is an air-to-air study of two J-35s in close formation. It appears to be an official PLAN release, and the fact that it includes aircraft construction numbers — 0011 and 0012 — strongly suggests that these are low-rate initial production (LRIP) aircraft. At the same time, we cannot totally rule out a disinformation effort, with LRIP-conforming numbers applied to existing prototype aircraft, for example.
At the same time, the J-35s wear prominent new shark markings, as well as national insignia, on their tailfins, which might point to them being in service with the PLAN. Another shark motif appears on the tail fins of the J-15 carrier-based fighters that the PLAN also operates.
Finally, the pilots wear the bright blue helmets that have frequently been seen used by Chinese naval aviators flying the J-15 with frontline units, as seen in the photo below, aboard the carrier Liaoning during a 2021 drill in the South China Sea.
While we have previously gotten good air-to-air views of the J-35, the aircraft seen so far were prototypes, albeit getting increasingly closer to the likely production standard. These aircraft, in contrast, look like they are from the LRIP batch and, as such, represent the initial version of the Shenyang design that will see PLAN service, including carrier operations.
A navalized variant of the land-based FC-31, the first flying J-35 prototype appears to have made its initial flight in October 2021. The second known flying J-35 prototype was subsequently spotted in July of 2022, now sporting a low-visibility gray tactical paint scheme. There was speculation that a third was pictured in flight in September 2023, although, as we noted at the time, the quality of the imagery made it difficult to ascertain whether the aircraft was indeed a navalized J-35 or a land-based FC-31 variant. Now it appears that significantly more examples of the J-35 have been completed, perhaps including the first limited-production aircraft.
TWZ spoke to Andreas Rupprecht, a Chinese aviation expert and contributor to this website, for his assessment of the new J-35 photo. He said the fact that the LRIP version of the aircraft had broken cover at this point would not necessarily be a huge surprise, especially since the production version of the J-15B fighter (an enhanced carrier-based Flanker) had also appeared out of the blue, late last year. Very quickly, almost two-dozen J-15Bs were identified as being in service. Until this point, there had been no confirmation of J-15B series production, and the same may turn out to be true of the J-15.
– J-15B has light grey radome, are the CATOBAR compatible, 4.5th gen (new weapons, avionics AESA etc) variant, marked red– J-15/A has dark grey radome, STOBAR production/old version, 4th gen, marked greenIn flight I see 9 J-15B, 2 J-15A, but happy for other opinions. https://t.co/vdflozAB3K pic.twitter.com/4Hgl43P9bq
— Rick Joe (@RickJoe_PLA) October 31, 2024
The appearance of the apparent LRIP J-35s also comes amid a flurry of other new developments in Chinese military aviation, including indications of the J-20S two-seat stealth fighter being in People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) service, as well as the J-35A (the land-based version of the naval J-35).
At this stage, there is still some confusion about the type of engine used by the J-35s in the new photo. What is clear, however, is that the naval J-35 and land-based J-35A appear to have different powerplants, at least at this stage. Ultimately, the advanced WS-19 was expected to power both versions, but this doesn't seem to be the case — yet.
There are unconfirmed reports that the J-35A for the PLAAF already uses the definitive WS-19, identified by its characteristic darker exhaust nozzles. Meanwhile, the PLAN's J-35A, which features lighter-colored nozzles, may be powered by the WS-21, which is a heavily improved version of the earlier WS-13, as found on the first prototypes. At this stage, we don't know for sure, but there are likely to be further powerplant changes as Shenyang continues to enhance its J-35s for land-based and naval use.
A first brief analysis … J-35 vs J-35A in details!Most obvious at first sight:– the engines or at least exhaust nozzles are totally different– both now use the same smaller rudder (unlike seen on naval prototypes)– both have different luneburg lenses pic.twitter.com/RqHrY50OLr
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) July 18, 2025
Both J-35s in the photo are fitted with a ventral bolt-on Luneburg lens (radar reflector). This is often used on stealth fighters when low observability is not required, when it can pose a challenge for flying in controlled civilian airspace, or when masking the aircraft's true signature from foreign intelligence. The naval version seems to be different from the reflectors on the land-based J-35A, which appear to be extendible and not bolted on.
Somewhat surprisingly, there are also rumors that the J-35 has already begun carrier trials from the deck of the Type 003 Fujian, a vessel that is now undergoing pre-service trials. At this point, there is no imagery to confirm this, but with the aircraft apparently now in service, such tests are likely to commence in the not-too-distant future, if they haven't already. On the other hand, it would seem surprising if the unproven J-35 was the first fighter to be tested aboard the new carrier, rather than the long-established J-15. China has also been using land-based test sites for years to help prepare personnel for catapult-equipped carrier operations.
Perhaps we will learn more about the status of the J-35 in PLAN service in September, when the aircraft is rumored to be making its public debut in a large-scale event to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II.
Whatever the case, there are growing signs that we will see the J-35 operating from a PLAN carrier before too long, although there is still a long way to go before the service can declare any kind of operational capability for the type. As it stands, the J-35, together with the KJ-600 carrier-based airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, a type we have profiled in depth in the past, and likely also stealthy combat drones, looks set to provide notable new capabilities for China's fast-developing carrier aviation branch.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
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