PLA's new stealth jet ready for debut

The People's Liberation Army Air Force declassified its latest hardware, the J-35A stealth fighter jet on Nov 5.(Photo/PLA Weibo)

The People's Liberation Army Air Force declassified its latest hardware, the J-35A stealth fighter jet, on Tuesday, saying that the model will make its public debut at an upcoming air show.

Colonel Niu Wenbo from the PLA Air Force's Equipment Department told reporters at a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday that the J-35A will take part in the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, set for Nov 12-17 in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

The J-35A is a midsize stealth combat plane with multiple roles, Niu said.

Besides providing a picture of the J-35A, the officer did not give details about the new aircraft, including whether it has been commissioned or in which way it will be shown to the public at the exhibition.

Popularly known as the Zhuhai Airshow, the biennial China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition is the country's largest arms show and is recognized as one of the world's most significant defense exhibitions.

With Tuesday's announcement, the Chinese military has finally made public the long-anticipated J-35 series, a hot topic of speculation and analysis among military observers at home and abroad.

Upon the plane's commissioning, China will become the second nation after the United States to have two types of stealth fighter jets in active service.

Currently, the PLA Air Force has deployed a large fleet of J-20 heavy-duty stealth combat aircraft, which started to be commissioned in late 2016.

The J-20 made its debut at the 11th Zhuhai Airshow in November 2016.

According to the Aviation Industry Corp of China, which is the country's dominant aircraft maker, the J-35A symbolizes a new milestone in the State-owned conglomerate's endeavor to improve the PLA's arsenal and support its integrated joint combat system.

The new fifth-generation fighter jet was designed by the aircraft maker's Shenyang Aircraft Design and Research Institute and will be used primarily to carry out air combat. The plane can also conduct strikes against targets on land and at sea, the company said in a news release.

Wang Yongqing, the institute's chief designer, said the J-35A features world-class technologies and has good stealth, information and intelligence capabilities.

It is able to detect and hit hostile aircraft before they can do so, and has outstanding superiority when engaging with fourth-generation jets, he added.

Defense industry observers said there are several variants in the J-35 family, including the J-35A, which is designed for the PLA Air Force, and another model for deployment on aircraft carriers. The series has a common root, the FC-31, which is a technology-demonstration prototype of stealth combat aircraft designed by the Shenyang institute.

The FC-31 was unveiled in October 2012, when the prototype made its debut flight at the Zhuhai Airshow that year, becoming China's second prototype of fifth-generation fighter jet following the J-20.

In addition to the J-35A, the J-20 and Russia's Sukhoi Su-57 are also set to take part in the coming Zhuhai event. If that happens, it will be the first time in the world that three models of stealth combat jets appear in the same show.