China's second domestic fifth-generation aircraft J-35 has recently made new progress, and a Chinese enthusiast on Twitter @rupprecht a@rupprechtdeino posted a J-35's **, showing that the hatch of the large bomb bay in its abdomen has been opened. This is the first time for the J-35 and its latest development. At the same time, the Indian ** "Indian Frontier" also published an article saying that the J-35 has surpassed the Russian Su-75 fighter in all aspects, and expects the J-35 to be put into mass production soon.
The J-35 is a twin-engine, single-seat medium-sized ** fighter developed by Shenyang Aircraft Industry Group, and its prototype is the FC-31, which is the export version of the J-31. The official name of the J-35 was determined on July 22, 2022, when a fighter with the number 35XXX appeared at Shenfei's test flight site, which also means that the J-35 has entered the final test stage.
The main use of the J-35 is as a carrier-based aircraft, providing air power for China's catapult carriers. It is reported that China's third aircraft carrier, the 003 aircraft carrier, or the Fujian ship, will be China's first supercarrier to use electromagnetic catapults, and the number of carrier-based aircraft it can carry is at least 48, including stealth and non-stealth fighters. The J-35 will be the main carrier-based aircraft of the Fujian, and it is expected that 24 J-35s and 24 J-15s will form a carrier-based aircraft formation. Two more sister ships of the same class of the Fujian may be built, which means that the production of the J-35 will be very large, and may even exceed the J-20.
The design of the J-35 draws on the experience of the J-20 and adopts stealth technologies such as twin vertical tails, built-in bomb bays, and DSI air intakes, while also having the characteristics of carrier-based aircraft, such as reinforced landing gear, folded wings, etc. The length of the J-35 was 173 meters with a wingspan of 115 meters, the height of the fuselage is 48 meters, normal take-off weight of 175 tons, the maximum take-off weight is 28 tons, the load is 8 tons. The engine of the J-35 has undergone several stages of change, initially using the Russian RD-93, later the Chinese WS-13, and possibly the WS-19 in the future. The maximum speed of the J-35 is 1Mach 8 with a maximum ceiling of 160,000 meters, the combat radius is 1200 km (internal fuel) or 1900 km (one refueling in the air), the maximum overload is +9g -3g.
The J-35's on-board electronic equipment is also very advanced, including active phased array radar (AESA), open electronic systems, data links, etc., which are all technologies that have been verified by the J-20, which can make the J-35 have strong information-based combat capabilities and form effective coordination with early warning aircraft and UAVs. The J-35 system is also very rich, in addition to the built-in bomb bay can carry air-to-air missiles and air-to-surface missiles, there are six external hardpoints that can mount a variety of ** and pods, such as anti-ship missiles, anti-radiation missiles, bombs, fuel tanks, electronic warfare pods, etc.
One of the competitors of the J-35 is the Russian Su-75, a single-engine ** fighter developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau for the export market and the Russian Air Force, the first flight of which is scheduled for 2023, but has been postponed to 2024, and the first deliveries are expected in 2027. The Su-75 has a low cost and modest performance, making it a potential competitor for the F-35 and J-35.
The design of the Su-75 adopts a large angular air intake in the nose of the belly ring, a "V" shaped tail, a single engine, a built-in bomb bay, etc., with a large wing area and a certain stealth capability. The engine of the Su-75 is "Izdeliye 30" and weighs 145 tons, intermediate thrust of 11 tons, maximum thrust of 175 tons, comparable to the WS-15, but lagging behind. The Su-75's avionics system also uses an open electronic system, AESA radar, etc., and some of the technology comes from the Su-57, which also shortens the development time of the Su-75. The length of the Su-75 is 188 meters, with a wingspan of 142 meters, the height of the fuselage is 51 meter, normal take-off weight of 18 tons, combat load of 74 tons, the maximum speed is 1Mach 8 with a ceiling of 160,000 meters, the range is 3000 kilometers, and the maximum overload is 8g.
Metrically, both the J-35 and the Su-75 are medium-sized fifth-generation aircraft, but there are a number of differences. The J-35 is twin-engine, while the Su-75 is single-engine, which means that the J-35 has better safety and range, while the Su-75 has lower cost and maintenance requirements. The J-35 is a carrier-based aircraft, while the Su-75 is a land-based aircraft, which means that the J-35 has greater adaptability and maneuverability, while the Su-75 has a greater range and load. Both the J-35 and Su-75 have DSI air intakes, but the J-35 has a two-sided air intake, while the Su-75 has a belly intake, which means that the J-35 has better stealth performance, while the Su-75 has better aerodynamic performance.
From a technical point of view, both the J-35 and the Su-75 draw on their respective fifth-generation aircraft pioneers, namely the J-20 and the Su-57, but the J-35 has more advantages, because the J-20 has been in mass production and has many confrontation experiences with the F-35, while the Su-57 has not really been mass-produced, and its technology has not been tested in actual combat, and there are many uncertainties. The J-35's radar, electronic systems, data links, etc. are all China's advantages in information-based operations, which can allow the J-35 to form effective coordination with early warning aircraft, UAVs, etc., while the Su-75 is relatively backward in this regard, because Russia's investment and development in this area is not as good as China's.
Judging by the market, both the J-35 and the Su-75 have a certain export potential, but there are also a lot of restrictions. The main customer of the J-35 is the Chinese Navy, followed by the Chinese Air Force, and the possibility of export is relatively small, because China will not easily ** its own advanced **, and it is also necessary to take into account the influence of international politics and geopolitics, for example, China is impossible to ** J-35 to India, Vietnam and other countries, and it will also have to face US sanctions and interference. The main customer of the Su-75 is the export market, followed by the Russian Air Force, and the possibility of export is relatively large, because Russia needs to rely on exports to maintain its military industry, and there are also some traditional allies and customers, such as India, Argentina, Vietnam and other countries, but also have to face US sanctions and competition, as well as China's influence and advantage.
To sum up, both J-35 and Su-75 are fifth-generation aircraft with their own advantages and disadvantages, but from the aspects of technology, performance, progress, and market, the J-35 is significantly better than the Su-75, which is also India's evaluation. The goal of the J-35 is not to compete with the Su-75 for overseas markets, but to provide strong air power for China's aircraft carriers, and at the same time to have an advantage in the face of enemy aircraft such as the F-35, which is the true meaning of the J-35.
One of the future carrier-based aircraft of the J-35 is the 003 aircraft carrier, that is, the Fujian ship, which is China's first supercarrier with an electromagnetic catapult, and its construction progress is also very fast, and sea trials are expected in June and July of this year. Recently, a passenger took a picture of the latest ** of the 003 aircraft carrier from the plane, showing that its deck has been cleaned up, and only there is a temporary building behind the bridge, which means that the 003 aircraft carrier has completed most of the system installation and commissioning, and is about to enter the sea trial stage.
The sea trial time of the 003 aircraft carrier can refer to the experience of the 002 aircraft carrier, that is, the Shandong ship, which began its first sea trial after the support ship was berthed for four months, and the support ship of the 003 aircraft carrier, that is, the support ship of the 89th ship, has appeared in the harbor pool in early March, which means that the sea trial time of the 003 aircraft carrier is likely to be in July and August this year. The role of the support ship is to provide logistics services for the installation and commissioning of the power system, command system, radar system, carrier-based aircraft dispatch system, supply and communication system of the aircraft carrier, as well as the training of the aircraft carrier staff, which is an important preparation for the aircraft carrier before it enters service.
The sea trials of the 003 aircraft carrier will be a major test for the Chinese Navy and an important milestone in the construction of China's aircraft carriers, which will demonstrate China's technical level and combat capabilities in electromagnetic catapults, carrier-based aircraft, aircraft carrier formations, etc., and will also add new impetus to China's dream of becoming a maritime power. The J-35 will be an important part of the 003 aircraft carrier and will also be the new trump card of the Chinese Navy, and we look forward to their wonderful performance.