Defense reporter at the Global Times covering weapons and military development.

A scale model of the J-35A stealth fighter jet is on display together with several types of missiles at the booth of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China during the Air Force Open-day Activities and Changchun Air Show in Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin Province on September 20, 2025. Photo: Liu Xuanzun/GT

From Friday to Tuesday, the 2025 Air Force Aviation Open-day activities and Changchun Air Show are being held in Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin Province. Li Guoen, the pilot of the maiden flight of the FC-31 aircraft, told the Global Times during the event that the J-35A possesses an excellent aerodynamic design, which lays the foundation for its outstanding performance. He said the J-35 series sea- and land-based fighter jets are developed based on the FC-31, and he expressed his hope that more development and research can be carried out on the FC-31 platform in the future.

During the September 3 military parade, the J-35A, J-20A, and J-20S, as the main active combat equipment of the Chinese Air Force, were reviewed together with the J-20, marking the Chinese Air Force's "stealthification" development. At the Changchun event, the Chinese Air Force's stealth fighter family sent the J-20 as its representative to make an appearance, rightfully becoming the undisputed star of the show. Meanwhile, a model of the J-35A aircraft inside the exhibition hall also attracted large numbers of visitors eager to take photos.

Some military enthusiasts told the Global Times that they believe the first static display of the J-35A will be seen soon. "Currently, the iteration speed of our country's fighter aircraft is very fast. We know that new types of fighter aircraft from the industrial sectors are always being advanced. With the appearance of newer fighter aircraft, we believe the day when we can see a static display of a genuine J-35A will come soon."

The J-35A and J-35 are developed based on the FC-31 "Gyrfalcon," undergoing over a decade of iterative upgrades, ultimately achieving a leapfrog transformation from technological exploration to practical combat equipment. Li, the pilot of the FC-31's maiden test flight, told the Global Times that the FC-31 faced many difficulties and challenges in its initial R&D phase. At that time, China was simultaneously advancing the development of two types of stealth fighter aircraft, investing massive human, material, and financial resources. Ultimately, the country firmly made the decision to continue development, focusing on future needs. "The commissioning of the J-35 series sea- and land-based fighter jets, based on the FC-31, fully realized the value of that decision made at the time."

Li said that seeing the J-35 series sea- and land-based fighter jets commissioned made him very happy, and he is also full of anticipation for the future development of China's equipment, hoping that more advanced aircraft types will emerge. "The FC-31 is a good platform, and more development and research can be done based on it, continuously reflecting the innovation and progress of aviation technology."

Military affairs experts said that stealth will become one of the important trends in the future development of aerial equipment. "Attack and defense are like spear and shield. Facing continuously improving and highly capable air defense systems, it is necessary to develop stealth equipment and construct a stealth combat system to achieve penetrating strikes, avoiding radar detection and interception. For example, formations composed of different stealth aircraft could be assembled."

Pilot of FC-31's maiden test flight happy to see J-35A's commissioning, looks forward to more R&D based on FC-31