China testing stealth fighter jet J-35 for its 3rd aircraft carrier: Report

China is testing a new stealth fighter jet, the J-35, which will be deployed on its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, equipped with an advanced electromagnetic catapult system, according to official media reports on Sunday.

Unlike the earlier carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, which feature ski-jump take-off ramps, the Fujian’s catapult system marks a technological upgrade. The report also confirmed that the J-35 will be operational not only on the Fujian but also on the previous carriers, significantly enhancing the overall capabilities of China’s aircraft carrier fleet, experts noted.

A new type of warplane was tested earlier this year on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, state-run Global Times quoted official broadcaster CCTV as saying.

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It added that the new aircraft could be the long-expected J-35 – China’s next-generation carrier-borne stealth fighter jet.

China currently has two aircraft carriers, Liaoning, a refit of the Soviet-era ship, and Shandong, an indigenously built 2nd aircraft carrier commissioned in 2019.

China’s third aircraft carrier, Fujian, is larger than the two carriers, with a displacement of 80,000, and is currently undergoing trials.

It is the ”first fully domestically developed and constructed” aircraft carrier with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) similar to that of the American aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, official media reports said.

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China’s other two aircraft carriers are equipped with ski-jump take-off ramps, while the Fujian features a flat-top flight deck.

China operates its indigenously built J-15 aircraft for its carriers.

Global Times quoted experts as saying that the CCTV report is an official confirmation that China now has a new-type carrier-borne aircraft ready for service.

Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post newspaper reported that the J-35 is being developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation as China’s second fifth-generation fighter jet, following the J-20.

Collin Koh, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told the Post that “one most straightforward assessment is that the Liaoning, which has long been designated as a test bed for PLA carrier capabilities, is conducting experiments on the J-35 as a viable carrier-borne fighter jet”.

With inputs from agencies.