The public appearance of the J-36 and later a “twin”, marks a turning point in Chinese military aviation, placing Beijing in a direct race for air supremacy in the 21st century. Until just a few years ago, the US lead in stealth fighter development seemed assured. However, the new Chinese platforms, first shown on flights captured without censorship and now visible in satellite images in a secret base near Lop Nur, indicate that China has not only advanced in technology: it has decided to demonstrate it.
The sixth generation. It became official on October 31, 2025, when several videos shared on chinese social networks and internationals showed what was identified as the new J-36 stealth plane 6th generation Peking flying in formation with a J-20probably the two-seat J-20S, near the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation facilities.
The disclosure deliberate imagesoperational integration with J-20S fighters already in service and the parallel deployment of two different sixth-generation designs suggest that China is not simply testing isolated prototypes, but rather building a deeply interconnected aerial ecosystem, conceived to coordinate manned fighters, heavy stealth platforms and swarms of advanced drones in penetration, supremacy and airspace control missions in highly defended theaters.
Design break. The J-36the most visible and talked about aircraft, stands out for its queueless configurationa trait extremely difficult to stabilize without advanced algorithmic and computational assistance. Its wide fuselage, long chord wings and air intakes positioned both on the top and on the sides indicate an absolute priority: minimize the radar signal from any angle and operate for long periods within denied zones.
This type of design, compared by analysts to a crossover between stealth fighters and bombersis not only aimed at air-to-air combat, but rather at acting as a tactical node in the air: monitoring distributed sensors, coordinating unmanned platforms and providing range and persistence in deep missions. The evolution between the prototype seen in December 2024 and the one shown in 2025 (with modifications to nozzles, landing gear and control surfaces) aims for rapid iteration and a high testing rate, characteristic features of aeronautical industries with mature design cycles.
The J-20S bridge cone. He use of the J-20Sthe two-seat variant of the Chinese fifth-generation stealth fighter, as an escort and supervision platform in mixed flights with the J-36it is not a minor detail. The additional cockpit of the J-20S is optimized to manage sensors, data links and control of autonomous systems, making it the “human piece” that oversees what will, in the future, become increasingly automated.
This pairing reflects the American operating concept for your NGAD programin which a very high-level fighter does not replace existing models, but rather coordinates and amplifies them. China, similarly, appears to be preparing mixed attack packages: the J-36 opens the way and establishes an information bubble, the J-20S protects and directs, and unmanned platforms execute saturation, deception or attack.
Installation near Lop Nur
Satellite image providing an overview of the entire facility near Lop Nur, as seen on November 3
Chinese Area 51. And after the show, the J-36 was stored in an unknown location until a few hours ago. The appearance of another prototype alongside the J-36 (the smaller but still heavy one called like J-XDS) at a remote base near the historic Lop Nur nuclear site revealed something crucial: China is transferring the testing phase from manufacturer facilities to an advanced experimentation center, similar in purpose to the US Area 51.
The track of more than 5 kilometersnew hangar installations, expansions and projects under construction suggest an environment designed for intensive testing of sensitive systems, stealth operations and doctrine validation. That both models were parked outdoors, knowing that they would be captured by commercial satellites, reinforces the interpretation that Beijing seeks to show capacity and leave it to Western intelligence to fill gaps and debate roles, sizes, engines, automation levels and actual missions. Put another way, ambiguity is part of the strategy: forcing the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia to prepare for several simultaneous scenarios, which disperses resources, planning and budgets.
A future combat ecosystem. The key does not lie only in manned aircraft. China is expanding rapidly parallel programs from autonomous and collaborative stealth drones, from naval UCAVs like GJ-11/21 to operate from aircraft carriers to “loyal wingman” type CCAs of similar size to that of a light fighter, planned for accompany the J-36 such as range multipliers, sensors and ammunition.
The goal is to create a spectrum of interdependent systemswhere the sixth-generation fighter acts as the aerial brain, while swarms of drones execute risky tasks, absorb fire, open access corridors and saturate long-range defenses. This, in theory, fits directly into Western Pacific scenarios, where any operation requires penetrating dense and deeply integrated networks of surveillance, over-the-horizon radars, satellites and naval missiles.
A challenge for Washington. The presentation and the transfer of evidence to one top secret base They underline a reality: China is not building a single aircraft, but rather preparing a complete doctrinal architecture to contest (not just balance) American air superiority. For the United States, Japan and allies, the concern arises not only from technical progress, but from the calendar.
Washington plans to deploy its first NGAD fighters towards 2030, but Beijing is already flying prototypes in experimental operational configuration accompanied by mature fighters. Yeah the J-36 or that twin pragmatic J-XDS reach levels of availability and credible doctrine sooner, the aerial map of the Pacific could undergo a profound transformation.
What for decades was a question of “whether China would reach the fifth generation” has now become a different and much more pressing question: what the hell will air combat look like in the next decade.
Image | Planet Labs, Chinese Social Media
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