China unveils new stealth jet and ‘space-air fighter’

The 15th Zhuhai Airshow in China kicked off on Tuesday, Nov. 12. While there was plenty of entertainment flying above, the show also gave the People’s Liberation Army a chance to showcase some of its latest advancements in weapons technology.

This year’s airshow saw the unveiling of China’s newest 5th-Gen stealth fighter, the J-35. Not much is known about the craft, other than it looks a lot like Lockheed Martin’s F-35. Chinese state-run media said the J-35 was designed mainly to carry out the task of “seizing and maintaining air supremacy.”

China showed off the J-35A variant during the airshow. The PLAAF is reportedly developing a ‘C’ variant as well, which will be used to take off and land on one of three aircraft carriers the People’s Liberation Army Navy is currently building and testing.

Both the J-35 variants are noticeably smaller than China’s first stealth fighter, the J-20, also known as the “Mighty Dragon.” At this year’s airshow, for the first time in public, a group of J-20 stealth fighters performed a series of aerial maneuvers to showcase both the skill of the pilots and just how nimble J-20s are. Mighty Dragons bear a striking resemblance to the U.S.-made F-22 Raptor and are designed primarily for air-to-air combat, also like the Raptor.

Another mock-up of an aircraft called the “White Emperor” was also unveiled at the show. China said the alleged 6th-generation stealth aircraft is an “integrated space-air fighter,” able to fly at supersonic speeds and then leave Earth’s atmosphere. It’s not clear if China is actually developing the White Emperor, or if this is misdirection. China had major problems making jet engines domestically, so it seems unlikely that it suddenly made such drastic leaps forward in developing a power source for such a craft.

As the pacing challenger to the United States military, the People’s Liberation Army is also heavily invested in developing drones and other unmanned combat aerial vehicles, or UCAVs.

Like the CH-7, developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. In conjunction with the air show, the PLA released video of the CH-7 taking off from an unknown airstrip. Development on the UCAV started years ago. It’s based on a “flying-wing” concept, and looks pretty similar to U.S.-made stealth bombers like the B-2 Spirit and B-21 Raider.

Like those U.S.-made aircraft, China designed the CH-7 to be a stealth bomber. However, this model will be an uncrewed stealth bomber. The CH-7 can reportedly penetrate enemy airspace at high altitudes, and then engage targets using precision-guided bombs. The PLA also said the unmanned feature of the plane has the potential to revolutionize China’s long-range bomber capabilities.

China is also still working on developing its H-20 heavy stealth bomber. A video board at Airshow China displayed a rendering of the craft flying in formation with some fighters, but that is all the information given on that aircraft.

Air dominance isn’t just about what sort of planes a military can put up, but what sort of planes or weapons it can take down.

Airshow China also saw the unveiling of the new HQ-19 long-range surface-to-air missile system. It’s basically China’s version of the U.S.-made THAAD-ER system, the type of air defense system the U.S. recently sent to Israel. The mobile launcher carries six interceptors which can take down aircraft, but are primarily designed to use against ballistic missiles.

The HQ-19 has reportedly been in service with the PLA for some time, so the public unveiling is seen as a way for China to further project force in the region.

Lastly, while it was an airshow, the PLA Navy wanted to make a splash too. The PLA Navy’s newest unmanned warship, a trimaran called the “Killer Whale,” also made an appearance. Chinese media described it as 190 feet long with a cruising speed of 40 knots and a range of around 4,000 nautical miles.

The Killer Whale looks a lot like the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships, which were designed to have swappable weapons components depending on the mission. While the U.S. Navy did away with swapping out weapons systems on its LCS vessels, it looks like the Chinese are leaning into the idea. Beijing said the Killer Whale can perform maritime patrols, surface warfare, anti-submarine operations, air defense missions, or search and rescue operations.

Just because China claims its weapons systems can perform certain tasks up to certain levels doesn’t mean they actually can. But military planners can’t take that chance. So, if China claims its new warships or planes can operate effectively against U.S. methods of detection and interdiction, then weapons makers in the U.S. will need to develop new ways to stay ahead, and the cat-and-mouse game that is warfare continues.

Reuters contributed to this report.