Latest news with #SongZhongping
The Star
5 days ago
- General
- The Star
Rare close-ups signal China's J-35 stealth jets ready for Fujian carrier
Rare close-up images of two PLA Navy J-35 stealth fighters flying in close formation have surfaced online, giving the clearest view yet of China's next-generation carrier-based aircraft. A military observer said the markings and flight characteristics offered the strongest evidence yet that the J-35 had entered production and was approaching operational readiness for deployment aboard China's latest aircraft carrier. Unlike previously circulated ground-based photos, the latest images appear to be air-to-air studies in tight formation. Their clearly visible identification marks suggest the fifth-generation fighter jets have entered initial production, according to former People's Liberation Army instructor Song Zhongping. The images, which first began circulating on China's X-like Weibo at the weekend, show the jets bearing clear 'Chinese navy' markings on their fuselages and 'Flying Shark' insignia on their tails – the strongest visual indication yet of formal naval integration. These markings, along with the official serial numbers '0011' and '0012', suggested the fighters were part of a low-rate initial production run, Song said. 'The Flying Shark insignia confirms the J-35 has joined the navy's carrier aviation force,' he said. 'It indicates the aircraft may have been in active service and is building combat and logistical support capabilities.' Though the latest photos provide the clearest view, the J-35 itself is not an unfamiliar aircraft. Earlier prototypes have been spotted flying alongside J-15 carrier-based and J-20 stealth fighters, as well as early-warning aircraft, during rehearsals for a September 3 military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Earlier this month, a programme by state broadcaster CCTV featuring the J-15T at its production facility clearly showed at least two 'green-primed' J-35 airframes in the background. The green primer layer is a coating used during the aircraft manufacturing process, before final painting and outfitting. The airframes were not blurred – in a departure from a technique frequently used by the PLA to prevent inadvertent exposure of advanced military technologies. Earlier state media reports have also implied that the J-35 is operating in tandem with the J-15T fighter in a high-low capability pairing, moving towards a balanced carrier-based combat system. The J-35 is expected to undergo extensive land-based training as well before being fully deployed aboard China's newest and most advanced carrier. There are widespread expectations that the J-35 will become the main fighter jet aboard the Fujian, China's first carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults designed to launch heavier aircraft with higher payloads. The warship has undergone eight sea trials and is expected to enter service before the end of the year. Military observers commenting on the latest J-35 photos on social media noted that neither aircraft featured traditional nose-mounted airspeed probes or 'pitot tubes'. This typically indicated that the model had successfully completed its prototype and testing phases, and had entered formal production. However, Song said that was not always a definitive indicator. 'Modern airspeed systems no longer require traditional external pitot tubes [for testing]. Sensors can now be embedded internally, improving the fighter's stealth capabilities and aerodynamic efficiency.' He also downplayed online speculation about the significance of the two J-35s flying side by side, saying: 'Flying two aircraft – a lead and a wingman – is the most basic tactical formation. It's standard procedure.' The emergence of the high-definition images of fully painted operational J-35 models marks a significant step forward for the PLA's naval fighter programme. It places China alongside the United States as the only countries operating two distinct fifth-generation stealth fighters, with at least one variant capable of carrier-based operations. For China they are the J-20 land-based and J-35 carrier-capable jets, while the US has the land-based F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II multirole fighters including the carrier-capable F-35C. The carrier-based J-35 and the land-based J-35A for the PLA Air Force both stem from the earlier FC-31 demonstrator but have evolved into specialised platforms that significantly enhance China's military aviation capabilities. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
South China Morning Post
22-07-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
China's fifth-gen J-35: rare close-up images suggest stealth jets ready for Fujian carrier
Rare close-up images of two PLA Navy J-35 stealth fighters flying in close formation have surfaced online, giving the clearest view yet of China's next-generation carrier-based aircraft. A military observer said the markings and flight characteristics offered the strongest evidence yet that the J-35 had entered production and was approaching operational readiness for deployment aboard China's latest aircraft carrier. Unlike previously circulated ground-based photos, the latest images appear to be air-to-air studies in tight formation. Their clearly visible identification marks suggest the fifth-generation fighter jets have entered initial production, according to former People's Liberation Army instructor Song Zhongping. The images, which first began circulating on China's X-like Weibo at the weekend, show the jets bearing clear 'Chinese navy' markings on their fuselages and 'Flying Shark' insignia on their tails – the strongest visual indication yet of formal naval integration. These markings, along with the official serial numbers '0011' and '0012', suggested the fighters were part of a low-rate initial production run, Song said. 'The Flying Shark insignia confirms the J-35 has joined the navy's carrier aviation force,' he said. 'It indicates the aircraft may have been in active service and is building combat and logistical support capabilities.'
AllAfrica
13-07-2025
- Business
- AllAfrica
China unveils carrier power – but global reach remains elusive
China has unveiled its stealth carrier jet program, revealing not only cutting-edge warplanes but a bold bid to redefine naval power in the Indo-Pacific. This month, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that China publicly revealed the production facilities of its fifth-generation stealth fighter jets for the first time, signaling progress toward deploying these aircraft on its third aircraft carrier. During a broadcast by state-run CCTV, at least two J-35 jets were observed at Shenyang Aircraft Corporation's (SAC) hangar, even though the report focused on the J-15T, an upgraded 4.5-generation carrier-capable fighter. Military analyst Song Zhongping said the J-35s were likely corrosion-resistant, carrier-based variants, marking the first public indication of their mass production. Both aircraft are expected to operate from the Type 003 aircraft carrier Fujian, currently undergoing sea trials and set for commissioning by year-end. Sun Cong, chief J-15 designer, highlighted software-defined functionality as key to faster aircraft development. Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of AVIC, is expanding its facilities, with provincial governor Wang Xinwei inspecting new construction sites this month. The company had earlier announced an 8.6 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) investment in a 4.2 square kilometer production site over five years. The move underscores China's accelerating naval aviation modernization and ambition to become a 'deep blue-water' navy. China's J-35A and J-15T carrier-based fighters mark a significant step in the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN's) ability to project power across the Indo-Pacific. However, persistent technological, operational and strategic constraints continue to limit the effectiveness of China's carrier aviation in high-end maritime conflict scenarios. Kevin Kusumoto states in a February 2025 article for the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) that China's J-35A fifth-generation stealth fighter represents a leap in stealth, electronic warfare, and multi-domain capabilities. He explains that the J-35A, designed for all-domain operations, employs advanced stealth and networked systems to strike enemy aircraft, cruise missiles, and air defenses while maintaining 'one-way transparency' against prior-generation threats. He adds that its modular design supports carrier-based variants intended for deployment aboard the Type 003 Fujian. Although some observers compare it to the F-35, Kusumoto argues that the J-35A reflects China's tactical priorities, citing its unique aerodynamic structure, bomb bay configuration and engine layout. Writing in November 2024 for The War Zone (TWZ), Thomas Newdick describes the J-15T as a substantial upgrade to the PLAN's carrier aviation. He reports that the aircraft incorporates domestically produced WS-10 engines and is a catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR)-compatible for operations aboard Chinese carriers, including the Fujian. He notes that its reinforced landing gear and integration with the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) allow for heavier payloads and higher sortie rates. Newdick also highlights a revised radome housing an active electronically scanned array radar compatible with PL-10 and PL-15 missiles, along with cockpit enhancements that improve pilot situational awareness. He states that these upgrades, combined with domestic engine production and broad compatibility, establish the J-15T as a multirole naval fighter. Jack Burnham adds in a November 2024 article for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) that, alongside the J-20, the J-35A enables China to field two stealth fighter types – a capability previously exclusive to the US. He further notes that an upgraded carrier-based J-15, likely featuring extended range and improved armaments, demonstrates China's ability to refine existing platforms to enhance force projection. At the operational level, Daniel Rice explains in a July 2024 report for the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) that Chinese state media emphasizes 'split wave' and 'continuous' air operation patterns, allowing sustained presence or saturation attacks to support amphibious assaults and control contested airspace. He says China could employ its carrier battle groups (CVBGs) to project power well beyond its coastline by organizing layered maritime defense zones. These CVBGs, he notes, are structured into inner, middle, and outer defense layers extending up to 400 kilometers from the carrier and integrate submarines, surface combatants, and carrier-based aircraft to defend the formation and strike targets. Keitaro Ushirogata, in his book Global Maritime Strategy 1980-2023, frames China's aircraft carriers as strategic tools in the PLAN's transition from coastal defense to blue-water operations. He notes that China's carriers are designed to support operations in the Western Pacific and beyond, enabling extended-range air operations, sea control, and deterrence missions far from the Chinese mainland. Ushirogata underscores that these vessels are intended not merely as status symbols but as instruments to enhance China's regional influence, protect overseas interests, and potentially challenge US naval dominance in Asia. Yet this ambition is undercut by enduring constraints. Jonathan Caverley, writing in a 2025 article for the Texas National Review (TNR), observes that the PLAN's carriers lack nuclear propulsion and overseas basing, which limits their endurance and reach. He notes that PLAN vessels remain vulnerable to long-range precision strikes from the US and its allies, supported by satellite-based targeting and resilient kill chains. Caverley also warns that China's reliance on contested space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) networks makes its carriers susceptible to disruptions, further reducing their combat effectiveness. Moreover, he states that deficiencies in integrated air defense and anti-submarine warfare capabilities could undermine PLAN carrier survivability in high-intensity engagements. Aina Turillazzi builds on this analysis in a 2024 article for the SAIS Europe Journal of Global Affairs, noting that Fujian's reliance on conventional propulsion demands support vessels for sustained operations and that the carrier has underperformed in EMALS trials compared to US counterparts. She further cites a shortage of carrier-qualified pilots as a critical bottleneck. While she acknowledges progress in underway replenishment and satellite communications, Turillazzi argues that China's power projection remains limited by logistical depth and lack of combat experience. Rather than matching US global reach, she concludes, China's carriers are better suited to influence operations against weaker regional adversaries. China is pairing stealth aircraft with expanding shipbuilding to reshape its naval presence. But despite rapid gains, persistent logistical and operational constraints continue to tether its ambitions to regional waters.
AllAfrica
07-07-2025
- Politics
- AllAfrica
China's nuclear triad still a one-legged giant
China's rare DF-5 missile disclosure signals growing confidence in its land-based nuclear might – but beneath the display lies a triad still plagued by imbalance and vulnerability. Last month, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that China has publicly disclosed key specifications of its DF-5 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time, marking a rare glimpse into the country's traditionally secretive nuclear program. In a broadcast, state media CCTV described the DF-5 as China's first-generation strategic intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), capable of carrying a single nuclear warhead with an explosive yield of 3 to 4 megatons, approximately 200 times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two-stage missile, developed in the 1970s and commissioned in 1981, has a maximum range of 12,000 kilometers and an accuracy of 500 meters, enabling it to strike targets across the continental United States and Western Europe. It measures 32.6 meters long, 3.35 meters in diameter, and weighs 183 tons at launch. Former PLA instructor Song Zhongping said the DF-5 was instrumental in establishing China's nuclear credibility. He saw the disclosure as a signal that more advanced, silo-based systems may soon be introduced as China phases out older platforms. The move comes amid China's broader modernization of its arsenal, including multiple-warhead variants of the DF-5 and mobile systems. China maintains a no-first-use nuclear policy despite the rapid expansion of its deterrent. SCMP has also noted that China's DF-31 and DF-41 ICBMs mark successive stages in the country's strategic deterrence evolution. The DF-31, first deployed in 2006, is a three-stage solid-fuel missile with variants—DF-31A and DF-31AG—capable of striking targets up to 13,200 kilometers away and delivering up to four warheads via multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs). The DF-31AG is road-mobile and off-road capable, enhancing survivability through terrain flexibility. In contrast, the DF-41, unveiled in 2019, is a fourth-generation, solid-fuel ICBM with a range of 12,000 – 15,000 kilometers and can carry up to 10 MIRVs, although experts estimate a typical load of three warheads plus decoys. With road-mobile, rail-mobile, and silo-based variants, the DF-41 represents a leap in mobility, payload, and launch survivability. Both systems underscore China's shift toward a more flexible and survivable nuclear deterrent, with the DF-41 eclipsing its predecessors in range, speed (up to Mach 25), and strategic versatility. Despite rapid modernization, China's nuclear triad remains unbalanced, with significant capability gaps in its sea and air-based legs. This situation forces China to rely on a nuclear strategy founded on shaping perceptions to sustain its no-first-use and assured retaliation posture amid intensifying great power competition. Citing a March 2025 report by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) notes that China's land-based arsenal remains the cornerstone of its nuclear deterrent, as its nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) leg has far less significant capability, and that its air-based leg, still in early stages of development, is far less capable than its US counterpart. Exploring the limitations of China's sea-based nuclear deterrent, David Logan notes in a November 2023 China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) report that China's efforts to build a sea-based nuclear deterrent remain constrained by significant operational and technical limitations. He adds that although China has six Type 094 ship submersible ballistic nuclear submarines, the PLA Navy's subs are reportedly noisier than Cold War-era Soviet models, raising doubts about their survivability against advanced US anti-submarine warfare capabilities. He explains that communication vulnerabilities further compound risks, as US surveillance networks across the Pacific can likely detect Chinese submarine transmissions. He states that the JL-2 missiles carried by earlier SSBNs cannot reach the US mainland from Chinese waters, while newer JL-3 missiles offer more extended range but are not yet widely deployed. He mentions that geographic chokepoints and detection risks also challenge open-ocean patrols, while a bastion strategy near Chinese coasts limits strategic flexibility. As for China's air-based nuclear arsenal, Aita Moriki mentions in a March 2024 National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) report that China's efforts to establish a credible air-based nuclear deterrent remain constrained by legacy platforms and technical delays. Aita argues that while the People's Liberation Army Air Force has resumed a nuclear role with the H-6N bomber, its limited range and reliance on aerial refueling restrict its ability to strike the US mainland. He adds that the upcoming H-20 stealth bomber, intended to correct this imbalance, may be delayed to the 2030s according to US assessments, amid skepticism over China's ability to master the necessary technologies. He expresses skepticism about whether the H-20, even if unveiled soon, will match the capabilities of US counterparts or meaningfully rebalance China's historically missile-centric nuclear triad. But what do these capability gaps mean for China's nuclear strategy? Hongyu Zhang mentions in an article published this month in the peer-reviewed Chinese Journal of International Politics that China may be using a stopgap 'manufactured deterrence' nuclear strategy. Despite China's stated 'assured retaliation' and 'no-first-use' policies, Zhang argues that significant second-strike capability gaps force it to pursue opaqueness and ambiguity to create uncertainty in adversary counterforce planning, thereby producing deterrent power. In the context of great power competition, Zhang says China is increasing the size of its nuclear arsenal to bridge the gap between assured retaliation and its stopgap manufactured deterrence strategy. Adding credence to Zhang's views, Hans Kristensen and Matt Korda state in a June 2025 report for the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) that China's nuclear arsenal totaled at least 600 warheads in January 2025, expanding faster than any other nation. They add that since 2023, China has added approximately 100 warheads annually and completed 350 new ICBM silos. However, they point out that while this growth positions China to potentially match Russia or the US in silo count by 2030, its projected 1,500 warheads by 2035 still fall short of US and Russian stockpiles. The DF-5 disclosure reflects confidence in China's land-based deterrent, but enduring gaps in its sea and air legs reveal a triad still built more on opacity than capability, laying bare the strategic tension between China's assured retaliation policy and its uneven nuclear evolution.
South China Morning Post
04-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
How is China using Shandong's visit to Hong Kong to boost patriotism, reflect power?
As Hong Kong celebrates the 28th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule, Beijing has once again deployed a powerful naval fleet, this time spearheaded by the aircraft carrier Shandong, highlighting both symbolic significance and strategic resolve amid escalating geopolitical tensions. China's first domestically built aircraft carrier and its fleet arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday morning, embarking on a five-day visit, which is set to include public tours this weekend. The Shandong is accompanied by three other domestically designed warships – the destroyers Yanan and Zhanjiang, and the frigate Yuncheng – as well as a dozen advanced J-15 carrier fighters and helicopters. The visit echoes the highly publicised arrival of the Liaoning carrier strike group eight years ago. But according to military analysts and political observers, the Shandong's visit holds greater significance due to current geopolitical sensitivities and historical context. 'The primary purpose of sending China's first home-built carrier to Hong Kong is to offer a direct, profound insight into the nation's comprehensive strength, military modernisation and armed forces development,' said Song Zhongping, a former People's Liberation Army (PLA) instructor. The military expert also described the event as 'a unique exercise in patriotic and national defence education'.
