PAF J-35AE - News, Updates and Discussions

Oh ... but these are not J-35! They are both the good old FC-31 demonstrators.

For many, FC31/J35/31 are just different prototype varient of same type/similar thing. Not all have deep knowledge and understanding and thus not often precise as required.
 
For many, FC31/J35/31 are just different prototype varient of same type/similar thing. Not all have deep knowledge and understanding and thus not often precise as required.

That's in fact no problem but important in order to correctly estimate/calculate a possible earliest in-service date!

If you repeatedly call them all the same and even twice (in yellow and grey) or whenever a new image appears, the result could be this: ;)

I said it earlier this year that by Dec 2026 Pakistan will have J31/J35 operational squadron but the way things are going forward, it might be earlier than that..

Well, ... let's wait for Zhuhai and I hope I'm wrong! In fact I would love to be proven wrong.
 
That's in fact no problem but important in order to correctly estimate/calculate a possible earliest in-service date!

If you repeatedly call them all the same and even twice (in yellow and grey) or whenever a new image appears, the result could be this: ;)



Well, ... let's wait for Zhuhai and I hope I'm wrong! In fact I would love to be proven wrong.

That's an in-built issue with fanboys. They know little and have big expectation.
 
Well, ... let's wait for Zhuhai and I hope I'm wrong! In fact I would love to be proven wrong.
My opinion: It has a 100% chance of appearing in Zhuhai. But not sure what version, maybe all versions?

Officials at SAC have revealed that there will be four versions of the J35. Three versions have been revealed so far (foreign trade version, air force version, navy version) and the last one is said to be a two-seat version, but there is no evidence of this at the moment.
1.jpg
Many years ago, when a reporter interviewed designer of the J35 (FC31), she clearly replied that this type of fighter contains four sub-types. But she did not specify the details.
 
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Excerpt only, full article in link below:​


China’s Liaoning Carrier Clocks 630 Aircraft Sorties, Appears in New Locations in Western Pacific – Japan MoD​

Last updated: October 5, 2024

Sortie frenzy

Liaoning, the PLA Navy’s first aircraft carrier, was modified and restructured from the Soviet-era Kuznetsov-class carrier and commissioned in September 2012. Its primary air arm consists of the J-15 carrier-borne fighter, itself a Chiese-derivative of the Russian Su-33. Global Times reported in mid-September that a “new type” of warplane, speculating it could be the carrier-borne twin-engine J-31/J-35, was “tested earlier this year” from the Liaoning.

Whether the test involved an actual flight from the STOBAR (Short Take-Off Barrier-Arrested) ski-ramp or a mockup model is not yet clear. But the GT report did carry an image showing “full-scale models of a J-35 and the J-15 in waterproof cloth on the Liaoning’s flight deck in Dalian.”

 
Hopefully Zuhai Air show will reveal a lot.
 
Hopefully Zuhai Air show will reveal a lot.

I am expecting an upgraded J35/J31 5.5th generation plane, China has been researching and developing this plane since 2012, that is 12 years ago, they also have alot of experience and technologies from J20s.
 
My opinion: It has a 100% chance of appearing in Zhuhai. But not sure what version, maybe all versions?

Officials at SAC have revealed that there will be four versions of the J35. Three versions have been revealed so far (foreign trade version, air force version, navy version) and the last one is said to be a two-seat version, but there is no evidence of this at the moment.
View attachment 70190
Many years ago, when a reporter interviewed designer of the J35 (FC31), she clearly replied that this type of fighter contains four sub-types. But she did not specify the details.
J-35B? Would seem like it would be even more necessary for training carrier pilots than PLAAF pilots.

Sure it’s not officially disclosed, it wouldn’t this be reasonable assumption of what it will look like?
1728265147690.jpeg

It was also speculated in mid-2023 that a J-35Btandem seat version similar to J-20B could be under development for training and EW purposes.
Source: https://chinese-military-aviation.blogspot.com/2012/07/fighters_18.html?m=1#J-35

What a twin seat F-35 could have looked like:
1728269252642.jpeg
 
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J-35B? Would seem like it would be even more necessary for training carrier pilots than PLAAF pilots.

Sure it’s not officially disclosed, it wouldn’t this be reasonable assumption of what it will look like?
View attachment 70412


Source: https://chinese-military-aviation.blogspot.com/2012/07/fighters_18.html?m=1#J-35

What a twin seat F-35 could have looked like:
View attachment 70438
There's no word on the two-seat version of the J35, and we know absolutely nothing about its development.
For the 4th J35, some have speculated on a two-seat version; others have speculated on a STOVL version.
There is some patent information about the STOVL appearing in current news, but we haven't seen anything real about it, or about the engine. Due to the many problems with the F35B, there are also analyzes that suggest the PLA may keep the STOVL technology developed but not actually use the technology. Rumors abound and we need to stay on the sidelines.
More news suggests it is similar to the J20 two-seat version. Since the JL10 is already on board an aircraft carrier, it is unlikely to be a trainer version. It should be the carrier version of the Loyal Wingman program.

@PakAl
From FC-31 to J-35, there was a long pause and wait in between, and only in the last few years has work resumed.
Although the first flights of the J-20 and FC-31 were relatively close to each other, their completely different identities resulted in a serious lag in the development of the FC-31 (J-35).Some of the new PLA technologies needed to be fully matured on the J20 before they were allowed to be ported over to the J35 for use in the J35. So the actual development time for the J-35 was actually very short.
 
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