Shenyang J-35
| Shenyang J-35 | |
|---|---|
| J-35A at 2024 Zhuhai Air Show | |
| General information | |
| Type | Multirole stealth fighter | 
| National origin | China | 
| Manufacturer | Shenyang Aircraft Corporation | 
| Designer | 601st Design Institute | 
| Status | Low rate initial production | 
| Primary user | People's Liberation Army Air Force People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force | 
| Number built | 8+ | 
| History | |
| Manufactured | 2012–2016 (FC-31) 2021–present (J-35) | 
| First flight | 31 October 2012 (FC-31) 29 October 2021 (J-35) 26 September 2023 (J-35A) | 
| Developed from | Shenyang 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.