China’s remarkable progress in developing and integrating its next-generation carrier-borne stealth fighter, the J-35, signals a transformative shift in the regional naval balance—especially vis-à-vis India. Touted as China’s answer to the American F-35, the J-35 serves as both a technological leap in Chinese aerospace capability and a symbol of Beijing’s broader maritime ambitions.

Rapid Modernisation And Carrier Integration

The J-35, evolving from the FC-31 “Gyrfalcon” program, is a twin-engine, multi-role stealth fighter purpose-built for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Its debut marks the first time China fields a true fifth-generation carrier-based fighter, paralleling the U.S. Navy’s F-35C and narrowing the gap between the PLAN and the world’s most advanced navies.

Recent official Chinese state media coverage—including a CCTV broadcast quoted by Global Times—confirms that the J-35 has undergone operational trials aboard the Liaoning and Shandong and is being readied for the newer, larger Fujian aircraft carrier.

The Fujian itself represents a generational leap, featuring electromagnetic aircraft launch systems (EMALS) that rival those on the U.S. Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford. This technology allows the launch of heavier, more advanced fighter aircraft like the J-35, greatly enhancing the PLAN’s power projection and operational flexibility over older ski-jump carriers.

Capabilities And Weapon Systems

Equipped with advanced stealth technology, cutting-edge avionics, and the domestically produced WS-13E engines, the J-35 delivers speeds up to Mach 1.8 and can carry long-range PL-15 or PL-21 air-to-air missiles, as well as modern air-to-ground ordnance like the CJ-10. Its robust communications, radar evasion, and sophisticated sensors grant the PLAN new levels of survivability and lethality at sea.

Strategic Implications For India

China aims to operate six aircraft carriers by 2035, each fielding the J-35 as the principal fighter. This build-up not only challenges American military supremacy but also directly threatens India’s ability to secure its maritime interests. Chinese carrier strike groups—likely stationed in the Indian Ocean by 2025 or 2026—could project power and enforce extended A2/AD (anti-access/area denial) zones in a region vital to India’s security.

The Indian Navy, by comparison, currently operates the INS Vikramaditya and the indigenously built INS Vikrant, both deploying the ageing MiG-29K. This aircraft, while capable, is technologically outmatched by the stealth, range, and sensor fusion of the J-35. India’s procurement of 26 Rafale M fighters from France is meant as a stopgap, with deliveries expected to begin in the next 3 to 4 years. The anticipated Twin Engine Deck-based Fighter (TEDBF) program, still years away, reinforces the urgent need for accelerated modernization.

Wider Regional And Export Dynamics

Beyond India, China’s proliferation of advanced fighter technology is seen in the export of the J-31 (closely related to the J-35) to Pakistan and prospective buyers like Saudi Arabia. Pakistan’s planned acquisition of 40 J-35s will further complicate India’s strategic calculations, by shifting the air power balance across both naval and continental fronts.

Why Is The J-35 Considered A Significant Threat To Indian Naval Superiority

The Chinese J-35 stealth fighter represents a major evolutionary step in regional aerial warfare, and several factors combine to make it a significant threat to Indian naval and air superiority:

1. Stealth Capabilities: The J-35 boasts an extremely low radar cross-section—comparable to the American F-35—making it exceptionally difficult to detect by conventional radar systems. This means J-35s can approach Indian naval and air assets with minimal warning, diminishing the effectiveness of existing air defence networks and increasing the risk of surprise attacks.

2. Advanced Sensor And Weapons Suite: Equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, such as active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, electro-optical targeting systems, infrared search-and-track, and sophisticated data-sharing abilities, the J-35 can swiftly identify, track, and neutralise enemy threats from long distances. Its advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles allow it to strike targets beyond visual range.

3. Operational Flexibility: As a fifth-generation multi-role fighter, the J-35 can operate from aircraft carriers, which bolsters the Chinese Navy’s ability to project power across the Indian Ocean. Multiple PLAN carriers equipped with these jets would enable China to enforce extended anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) zones—directly challenging India’s freedom of operation around its own maritime interests.

4. Impact On Strategic Balance: India currently lacks a fifth-generation stealth fighter in service. The MiG-29K and incoming Rafale M jets, while capable, do not match the stealth, survivability, and sensor fusion of the J-35. The slow pace of India's indigenous AMCA stealth fighter program means this gap could persist for over a decade, during which China (and potentially Pakistan, as an export customer) will enjoy a qualitative advantage in any aerial confrontation.

5. Two-Front Challenge: If Pakistan acquires the J-35, India could face stealth threats on both eastern and western fronts. In a conflict scenario, simultaneous operations by Chinese and Pakistani stealth fighters could strain India’s air defence systems, force asset dispersal, and complicate strategic planning.

6. Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD): The J-35’s stealth and advanced weaponry allow it to conduct SEAD missions—targeting Indian surface-to-air missile batteries and radar installations—potentially creating holes in India’s integrated air defence shield and opening avenues for follow-on attacks.

7. Carrier-Based Deployment: The integration of J-35s on Chinese carriers like the Liaoning, Shandong, and the advanced Fujian (with EMALS technology) radically enhances China's ability to challenge Indian maritime dominance not just around the subcontinent but throughout the broader Indo-Pacific.

Conclusion: Call For Indian Naval Transformation

The operationalisation of the J-35 on Chinese carriers dramatically alters the calculus of force projection and air superiority in the Indian Ocean and the wider Indo-Pacific. For India, this development underscores an urgent need to strengthen carrier aviation, invest in indigenous fighter programs, and adapt naval doctrine to counter the PLAN’s expanding reach and technological edge. Without robust modernisation, the Indian Navy risks ceding strategic initiative to a rapidly advancing Chinese adversary.

The J-35 combines stealth, advanced sensors, modern weapons, and carrier compatibility to create a potent force-multiplier for China. Its operational deployment threatens to negate India's current technological edge, complicate defence strategies, and force an urgent rethink in naval and air force modernisation.

IDN (With Agency Inputs)