Sparrow on Radar, Hawk in the Sky: China j-35 Stealth Jet

The radar cross section (RCS) of China's J-35 carrier-based  fighter jet is roughly the size of a sparrow, thanks to its special fuselage design and meta-material technologies exclusive to China, official media revealed on Sunday.

The details on the J-35 series' stealth capability were provided in an in-depth report by China Central Television (CCTV) News which said an RCS the size of a human palm, or roughly that of a sparrow can enable the J-35 to remain undetected until it is very close to its target, giving it more advantages and opportunities in combat.

CCTV News also introduced another key performance parameter of the J-35.

The report revealed that the maximum takeoff weight of the J-35 is close to 30 tons and is powered by two medium-thrust engines completely independently developed by China.

Wang Ya'nan said that while the J-35 is a medium-sized fighter jet, a maximum takeoff weight of nearly 30 tons means that it is almost a heavy fighter jet. Thanks to the electromagnetic catapult technology, the J-35 can take off fully loaded with munitions and fuel.

The CCTV News report noted that the J-35 is the carrier-based version of the J-35A, China's independently developed new-generation multirole stealth fighter jet. When the J-35A made its debut at Airshow China 2024, it was announced that the J-35 series has multiple variants, including versions for the navy and the air force.

Wang Yongqing, the chief designer of multiple types of aircraft as well as the chief expert of the Shenyang Aircraft Design and Research Institute of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), told the Global Times in an exclusive interview in June that this concept has core advantages, including the realization of high efficiency in resource utilization.