China’s ‘Next-Generation’ Fighter Aircraft Seen Again

China flexed its military muscles as its next-generation fighter aircraft was spotted flying for the second time in three months, images and videos circulated on social media show.

The Chinese Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Newsweek.

Why It Matters

China has the largest aviation force in the Indo-Pacific region with over 3,150 aircraft, the Pentagon said in its report on Chinese military power last December. A pair of Chinese next-generation fighter aircraft prototypes were unofficially unveiled on Boxing Day.

China and the United States are racing to field the next-generation—or the so-called sixth-generation—fighter aircraft, which will be superior to the previous generation in stealth, networking and computing, sensing, and engines, experts told Newsweek previously.

What To Know

According to images and videos posted on social media on Monday, one of China’s two next-generation fighter aircraft prototypes, currently dubbed the J-36, conducted its second test flight that the public knows of so far at an undisclosed location in China.

The latest test flight imagery offered new views of the massive, triangular-shaped tailless aircraft, which has no horizontal control surface other than the main wing, according to the specialist outlet The War Zone. Newsweek could not independently verify the imagery.

Another specialist outlet, The Aviationist, noted that the mysterious flying-wing aircraft was spotted with a flight data probe on its nose, which indicated the aircraft is still undergoing the initial testing and is far from serial production and operational induction.

China’s next-generation fighter aircraft development “is consistent with our understanding of China’s strategic objectives and long-term force planning,” a U.S. Air Force official told Air & Space Forces Magazine previously, adding that the service is closely monitoring.

The Chinese military currently operates one fifth-generation fighter jet, the radar-evading J-20. Two new Chinese fifth-generation combat aircraft, the J-20S and the J-35A, were officially unveiled last November to rival the American F-22 and F-35 stealth fighter jets.

Meanwhile, China continues to upgrade its existing fleet of fighter aircraft. A J-20 combat jet was spotted carrying missiles under its wings in the so-called “beast mode,” increasing the number of missiles it can carry besides storing them in internal weapons bays only.

What People Are Saying

Specialist outlet The War Zone wrote in an article on Monday: “Just as with pretty much all new Chinese military hardware of great interest, the quality and quantity of ‘candid’ images of them undergoing testing will ramp up as trials commence.”

Specialist outlet The Aviationist wrote in an article on Monday: “Various videos captured by people on the ground show the J-36 making a turn, while others show a decent side and bottom view, with the landing gear still extended.”

What Happens Next

It remains to be seen when China will officially reveal its next-generation fighter aircraft. The second aircraft prototype may conduct another flight test soon following the J-36 jet.