Shenyang J-35

Shenyang J-35
J-35A at 2024 Zhuhai Air Show
General information
TypeMultirole stealth fighter
National originChina
ManufacturerShenyang Aircraft Corporation
Designer601st Design Institute
StatusLow rate initial production
Primary userPeople's Liberation Army Air Force
People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force
Number built8+
History
Manufactured2012–2016 (FC-31)
2021–present (J-35)
First flight31 October 2012 (FC-31)
29 October 2021 (J-35)
26 September 2023 (J-35A)
Developed fromShenyang FC-31

The Shenyang J-35 (Chinese: 歼-35; pinyin: jiān-sānwǔ) is a series of Chinese single-seater, twin-engine, all-weather, stealth multirole combat aircraft manufactured by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC), designed for air superiority and surface strike missions. The aircraft reportedly has two variants, a land-based variant designed for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), and a carrier-based variant optimized for catapult-assisted takeoff (CATOBAR) for the People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF). The Shenyang J-35A will also be exported to Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

The aircraft was developed from the FC-31 Gyrfalcon (Chinese: 鹘鹰; pinyin: Gǔ yīng), a stealth aircraft prototype that served as a demonstrator aiming to secure potential export customers after SAC lost the J-XX bid to the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group.

The People's Liberation Army, particularly the PLA Navy, later took an interest in the FC-31 project, leading to the prototype being further developed with a catapult launch bar and folding wings, and the revised variant took flight on 29 October 2021. A land-based variant emerged in 2023 and was officially debuted ahead of the 2024 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, receiving the designation J-35A. The aircraft was unofficially called J-31 by some media and analysts until the official name announced as the J-35.

The introduction of the J-35 would make it the second Chinese fifth-generation fighter (after the Chengdu J-20) and China the only country other than the United States to use two types of stealth fighters.