DefenseVideo confirms mass production of Chinese stealth fighter J-35
If there were any doubts about the mass production of China’s second stealth fighter, the J-35, they were dispelled by a video from state TV CCTV.
The report addresses another fighter, the J-15T, a naval variant with catapult takeoff that will be used aboard the aircraft carrier Fujian.
The AVIC employee explains details of the new landing gear equipped with an electromagnetic catapult coupling, but in the background, it is the fighters in prime green that really catch the eye.
These are J-35 aircraft undergoing final assembly, including one with the arresting hook lowered, indicating that it is also the naval variant.
Another three stealth fighters are seen in some scenes, without CCTV bothering to hide them.
Naval and export fighter
Serial production of the J-35 has been considered for some time, ever since an aircraft with the registration number was spotted flying alongside one of the prototypes.
Shenyang’s twin-engine fighter program has been dragging on for years, with several different prototypes being built and tested.
Evolving from the FC-31 demonstrator, which was rejected by the PLAAF (People’s Liberation Army Air Force), the J-35 was redesigned to have improved stealth.
AVIC, which controls Shenyang, initially focused on developing a naval variant to operate alongside the J-15T, a derivative of the Russian Su-27.
But the manufacturer plans to export the J-35 with a land-based variant. Pakistan is rumored to be one of the main interested parties in the 5th generation fighter.
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