F-35 no longer the only one? China is likely to launch mass production of J-35
Amid the struggle for air dominance, China is demonstrating a major breakthrough - state-run CCTV 13 spotted at least five or six J-35s in the late stages of assembly. This may indicate the start of mass production of the fifth-generation stealth fighter, which could become a competitor to the US F-35.
Here's What We Know
The J-35 is China's second fifth-generation fighter jet after the J-20, but unlike it, it is a deck-based aircraft. Officially, it is not presented as a production aircraft, but a TV report on a completely different topic - the modernisation of the J-15 - suddenly showed several J-35s in a production hall.
The footage showed the aircraft uncoated and with skin elements on, indicating the final stages of assembly. At the same time, the story does not mention the J-35s in any way - the camera "accidentally" focuses on them, and the engineers seem to appear in the background.
"...Those engineers are clearly just totally coincidentally and nonchalantly chilling in front of a J-35 during a film piece about the J-15T. Nothing to see here:"@har pic.twitter.com/32rDoWv9yf
- @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) 8 July 2025
The J-35 is positioned as a multi-role aircraft with the ability to be deck-based on new generation aircraft carriers. This makes it a direct competitor to the F-35B/C, which has dominated this niche for more than a decade.
China's defence industry is known for its secrecy. Even in the case of the J-20, which has been in service for a long time, there are few open shots of the production process. Therefore, the openness in the case of the J-35 looks more like a demonstration of strength than a coincidence.
Against this backdrop, the United States receives an unambiguous message: China is not only imitating, but is already systematically deploying an alternative to their advanced aircraft. Although the J-35 is unlikely to outperform the F-35 in some respects, its mass production, localised production, and strategic independence make it an extremely important tool of influence.
Source: X
