Analysis: China’s J-36 stealth fighter wants to dominate the skies before U.S. F-47 enters service
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In June 2025, China unveiled footage of the J-36, a stealth fighter developed by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation and presented as the centerpiece of the country’s sixth-generation airpower ambitions. The tailless, twin-engine design is estimated to weigh between 50 and 60 metric tons, dwarfing the J-20 and approaching the size class of U.S. strategic bombers. It features an unusual side-by-side cockpit configuration, a decision that reflects its role as a two-crew mission management platform optimized for coordinating uncrewed systems, electronic warfare, and long-range strikes rather than classic dogfighting. This doctrinal departure suggests the J-36 is intended not just as a fighter, but as an airborne command-and-control hub for integrated joint operations far beyond the first island chain.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
China’s new J-36 is a 50-ton class stealth fighter with tailless design, side-by-side cockpit, long-range strike capability, advanced AESA radar, and capacity to command drones in networked combat operations (Picture source: AI-improved screenshot of Chinese footage).
The J-36’s architecture employs a blended wing-body configuration, eliminating vertical stabilizers to minimize radar signature. Its fuselage houses large internal bays capable of carrying eight long-range air-to-air or precision strike weapons, while additional wingroot bays may support short-range missiles for close-in defense. Sources indicate it will be powered by two next-generation WS-15 afterburning turbofans, each exceeding 18 tons of thrust, potentially granting sustained supersonic cruise above Mach 1.5 without afterburner. Radar absorbent coatings, serrated edge inlets, and embedded antennas contribute to its reduced radar cross-section, positioning it as one of the most stealth-optimized platforms China has produced to date.
The sensor suite is expected to feature a wide-aperture AESA radar with gallium nitride transmit-receive modules, an advanced infrared search and track system for detecting stealth aircraft, and comprehensive passive electronic surveillance arrays capable of geolocating emitters across vast distances. Analysts also point to datalink nodes designed for high-capacity secure networking, enabling the J-36 to control UCAVs, loitering munitions, or swarms of drones in coordinated strikes. If confirmed, this would align with China’s growing investment in loyal wingman programs such as the FH-97A, suggesting the J-36 could serve as a “mothership” platform for distributed aerial operations.
The J-36 appears tailored to support China’s anti-access/area denial strategy, complementing long-range missile forces and naval assets. Its size and endurance give it the ability to patrol deep into the Philippine Sea or central Pacific, where it could coordinate saturation strikes against U.S. carrier strike groups or allied airbases. The side-by-side cockpit enhances crew workload management, with one operator focused on piloting and navigation while the other directs electronic warfare, network management, and the control of uncrewed combat aerial vehicles. In conflict, this would allow the PLAAF to orchestrate layered attacks, integrating hypersonic glide vehicles, long-range missiles, and drone swarms under the protective umbrella of the J-36’s stealth and electronic warfare suite.
The United States, meanwhile, is pressing forward with the Next Generation Air Dominance fighter, now known as the F-47, a program largely classified but known to include adaptive-cycle propulsion capable of shifting between fuel-efficient cruise and high-thrust combat modes. F-47 is also designed with modular payload bays, distributed sensing architecture, and onboard AI to reduce pilot workload. A critical feature of F-47’s concept is its reliance on the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, where autonomous drones will extend sensing range, provide decoys, or deliver precision strikes under human supervision. While the J-36 emphasizes mass, endurance, and multi-role versatility, the F-47 seeks to achieve survivability and precision in the most contested environments, with an expected operational range exceeding 3,000 kilometers and payload optimized for stealthy internal munitions.
Geopolitically, the simultaneous emergence of the J-36 and the F-47 crystallizes the intensifying rivalry between China and the United States over control of the Indo-Pacific air domain. For Beijing, the J-36 represents not only a technological leap but also a strategic signal that it intends to challenge U.S. air dominance beyond the first island chain, expanding its power projection envelope deep into the Pacific. For Washington, F-47 is the cornerstone of the Air Force’s Air Superiority 2030 roadmap, designed to ensure the ability to penetrate future integrated air defense systems and retain escalation dominance. Together, these programs mark the transition to sixth-generation airpower, where control of the electromagnetic spectrum, human-machine teaming, and integration with autonomous systems will determine superiority.
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In June 2025, China unveiled footage of the J-36, a stealth fighter developed by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation and presented as the centerpiece of the country’s sixth-generation airpower ambitions. The tailless, twin-engine design is estimated to weigh between 50 and 60 metric tons, dwarfing the J-20 and approaching the size class of U.S. strategic bombers. It features an unusual side-by-side cockpit configuration, a decision that reflects its role as a two-crew mission management platform optimized for coordinating uncrewed systems, electronic warfare, and long-range strikes rather than classic dogfighting. This doctrinal departure suggests the J-36 is intended not just as a fighter, but as an airborne command-and-control hub for integrated joint operations far beyond the first island chain.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
China’s new J-36 is a 50-ton class stealth fighter with tailless design, side-by-side cockpit, long-range strike capability, advanced AESA radar, and capacity to command drones in networked combat operations (Picture source: AI-improved screenshot of Chinese footage).
The J-36’s architecture employs a blended wing-body configuration, eliminating vertical stabilizers to minimize radar signature. Its fuselage houses large internal bays capable of carrying eight long-range air-to-air or precision strike weapons, while additional wingroot bays may support short-range missiles for close-in defense. Sources indicate it will be powered by two next-generation WS-15 afterburning turbofans, each exceeding 18 tons of thrust, potentially granting sustained supersonic cruise above Mach 1.5 without afterburner. Radar absorbent coatings, serrated edge inlets, and embedded antennas contribute to its reduced radar cross-section, positioning it as one of the most stealth-optimized platforms China has produced to date.
The sensor suite is expected to feature a wide-aperture AESA radar with gallium nitride transmit-receive modules, an advanced infrared search and track system for detecting stealth aircraft, and comprehensive passive electronic surveillance arrays capable of geolocating emitters across vast distances. Analysts also point to datalink nodes designed for high-capacity secure networking, enabling the J-36 to control UCAVs, loitering munitions, or swarms of drones in coordinated strikes. If confirmed, this would align with China’s growing investment in loyal wingman programs such as the FH-97A, suggesting the J-36 could serve as a “mothership” platform for distributed aerial operations.
The J-36 appears tailored to support China’s anti-access/area denial strategy, complementing long-range missile forces and naval assets. Its size and endurance give it the ability to patrol deep into the Philippine Sea or central Pacific, where it could coordinate saturation strikes against U.S. carrier strike groups or allied airbases. The side-by-side cockpit enhances crew workload management, with one operator focused on piloting and navigation while the other directs electronic warfare, network management, and the control of uncrewed combat aerial vehicles. In conflict, this would allow the PLAAF to orchestrate layered attacks, integrating hypersonic glide vehicles, long-range missiles, and drone swarms under the protective umbrella of the J-36’s stealth and electronic warfare suite.
The United States, meanwhile, is pressing forward with the Next Generation Air Dominance fighter, now known as the F-47, a program largely classified but known to include adaptive-cycle propulsion capable of shifting between fuel-efficient cruise and high-thrust combat modes. F-47 is also designed with modular payload bays, distributed sensing architecture, and onboard AI to reduce pilot workload. A critical feature of F-47’s concept is its reliance on the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, where autonomous drones will extend sensing range, provide decoys, or deliver precision strikes under human supervision. While the J-36 emphasizes mass, endurance, and multi-role versatility, the F-47 seeks to achieve survivability and precision in the most contested environments, with an expected operational range exceeding 3,000 kilometers and payload optimized for stealthy internal munitions.
Geopolitically, the simultaneous emergence of the J-36 and the F-47 crystallizes the intensifying rivalry between China and the United States over control of the Indo-Pacific air domain. For Beijing, the J-36 represents not only a technological leap but also a strategic signal that it intends to challenge U.S. air dominance beyond the first island chain, expanding its power projection envelope deep into the Pacific. For Washington, F-47 is the cornerstone of the Air Force’s Air Superiority 2030 roadmap, designed to ensure the ability to penetrate future integrated air defense systems and retain escalation dominance. Together, these programs mark the transition to sixth-generation airpower, where control of the electromagnetic spectrum, human-machine teaming, and integration with autonomous systems will determine superiority.
