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ZHUHAI AIRSHOW - FULL OF SURPRISES PART 1
- Zhuhai airshow - full of surprises Part 1
By
Andreas Rupprecht
17th January 2025
NEWS
Andreas Rupprecht appraises the fighters on display at the Zhuhai Airshow, an event that was full of surprises
The 2024 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition – better known as the China or Zhuhai Airshow – took place from November 12 to 14, in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. This biennial event was eagerly awaited by aviation enthusiasts and analysts from all around the globe as well as the general public. They were not disappointed, as all the well-known Chinese manufacturers exhibited, and as is now customary, all three branches of the People’s Liberation Army: the Army Aviation (PLA), Naval Aviation (PLAN NA) and the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) showed off their latest systems both in spectacular flight as well as extensive static displays. Foreign traders were also present, and a special focus was the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS).
According to Chinese sources, almost 600,000 people visited the airshow, and contracts worth a total of over 280 billion yuan (almost US$39bn) were signed.
The Zhuhai Airshow is special because it is the only international airshow that takes place in mainland China, plus China tends to be reserved and secretive when it comes to military news. Plus, this event is usually used to publicise new equipment and often reveals major surprises.
Shenyang Aircraft Corporation J-35A’s unveiling of the PLAAF’s newest stealth fighter was a major surprise. Wearing a prominent ‘75’ on its tails to commemorate the PLAAF’s 75th anniversary, this was the second J-35A to appear during the show. It differed from the first example by having a pivot-type mechanism for its horizontal tail (compared to hinge-type stabilators) and had different engines Chinese internet
Shenyang J-35A – the ‘Shining Dragon’
The undisputed star and in some ways the biggest surprise was the unveiling of the PLAAF’s newest stealth fighter, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) J-35A. Wearing a prominent ‘75’ on its tails to commemorate the PLAAF’s 75th anniversary, it wore only PLAAF markings but no visible numbers.
The J-35 is so far only officially known as the PLAN’s new naval fighter for the new aircraft carrier
Fujian. At least three, possibly two more, prototypes have been in testing since October 2022. At the show it was presented by the PLAAF rather than by AVIC or SAC. Consequently, it was confirmed what had only been rumoured for about a year based on blurry photos and social media reports. The PLAAF is not only actively involved in the J-35 program but will allegedly put the aircraft into service before PLAN NA. This means that the J-35A medium-sized stealth fighter – previously unofficially known as the J-31 – will officially become the second stealth fighter in PLAAF service as the ‘Shining Dragon’ (Yàolóng) after the J-20 ‘Mighty Dragon’ (Weˉilóng), a counterpart to the American F-35.
The J-35A evolved from SAC’s private venture development and the very first demonstrator – then often referred to as the FC-31 (V1) – was shown at Zhuhai ten years ago. Initially the PLAAF was not particularly interested due to its preference for the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation’s J-20 but over the years it slowly evolved via the FC-31 (V2) finally to the naval J-35. In fact, it was the first public appearance of that type and two clearly different prototypes were shown.
Since March 2021 it was rumoured that a dedicated land-based variant was being developed – initially expected to be an export variant – as the J-31 without arresting hook and folded wings with an overall smaller wing. In addition, it features a single-wheel nose gear and an EOTS (Electro-Optical Targeting System) underneath the nose and – like the J-20 – several small polygon-shaped EODAS (Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System) windows around the fuselage. Allegedly, the prototypes are still powered by WS-21 turbofan engines, which are improved WS-13 engines, before the WS-19 are ready.
That secret program gained public attention, when in March 2022 an airframe was rumoured to have been transported to the 623 Institute for static tests. According to credible sources, the first J-35A prototype performed its maiden flight on September 26, 2023. At least three prototypes seem to currently be in testing and the two flown separately on different days of the 2024 Zhuhai Airshow differed not only in a redesigned mechanism to steer their stabilators/horizontal tails – one with a pivot-type while the second most likely later prototype a hinge-type mechanism but also in their exhausts. It wasn’t clear if the new WS-19 was in use or the older WS-13E. The aircraft is rumoured to be entering service for operational evaluation (Opeval) with the PLAAF as soon as 2025, ahead of its naval counterpart, which remains in test.
Otherwise, there is currently lots of noise in certain forums, that the Pakistan Air Force is the first export customer for that type and will be getting them “soon”. In the author’s opinion any date before 2028 – aka after OPEVAL was concluded and it entered PLAAF service in a frontline unit – would be more than surprising. On the other hand, an export variant could, for the first time, be a 5th generation fighter in addition to the US F-35. So, with the flying display consisting only of a single flyby with afterburner, followed by an unrestricted climb to exit, it was not possible to draw a conclusion, but time will tell.
Andreas Rupprecht
