China Unveils New Mirror Stealth Coating for New J-35 Fighters
August-23rd-2026
China’s newJ-35 fifth generation fighter has appeared in recent photographs with an unusually reflective, silver-like surface, prompting speculation that China may be evaluating a new surface treatment intended to improve the type’s advanced radar evading capabilities against advanced sensors.
The new coating is substantially more reflective than the subdued grey finishes normally associated with low-observable combat aircraft. Light appears to reflect strongly from portions of the fuselage, wings and empennage, giving the aircraft an almost polished-metal appearance.
The J-35 was confirmed in 2025 to be in service in both the Chinese People’s Liberation Army
Air Force and
the Navy, with the former integrating it into the air wing of its
supercarriers, the first of which the
Fujian entered service in November 2025. The J-35 is the second fighter type of its generation to enter service, following the larger and longer ranged
J-20 air superiority fighter which was confirmed to have joined the Air Force more than eight years earlier in February 2017. Its entry into serial production makes China the first country in the world to produce two fifth generation fighter types simultaneously.
J-35 Fifth Generation Fighter Takes Off From Supercarrier Fujian
The new stealth coating on the J-35 has drawn comparisons with experimental coatings previously observed on the U.S. Air Force’s F-22 and U.S. Navy F-35C fighters. An F-22 with a highly reflective metallic coating was first photographed at Nellis Air Force Base in November 2021. The coating covered much of the aircraft's outer skin and featured prominent tile-like and panel patterns. A second F-22 featuring a different reflective treatment was subsequently photographed in March 2022. Little is known regarding the coatings, and whether they will be widely adopted on parts or the whole of the aircraft. The possibility of their use solely on tail fins has been raised in the past.
F-22 with Reflective Mirror Stealth Coating
The future of the J-35 program remains highly uncertain, with the Air Force expected to procure only a limited number due to the superior capabilities of the J-20. With China poised to be the world’s first to
field sixth generation fighters in the early 2030s, there remains a possibility that the J-35 may not be procured in large numbers due to competition from these newer more advanced aircraft for orders from both the Air Force and the Navy. The J-35 is currently the only fifth generation fighter type that has been integrated onto an aircraft carrier of the latest generation, with its role in the Navy being considerably more significant than in the Air Force.
China’s newJ-35 fifth generation fighter has appeared in recent photographs with an unusually reflective, silver-like surface, prompting speculation that China may be evaluating a new surface treatme…
militarywatchmagazine.com
