New Export Variant of China’s J-35A Revealed
State media has given a glimpse of the first export variant of the J-35A, the country’s second land-based fifth-generation fighter jet. According to reports and analysis, Pakistan is considered the most likely recipient of this new model.
The CCTV clip featured during the “2026 May 1st International Labour Day ‘Heart to Heart’ Special Programme” showed a J-35A model bearing the serial number 001 rolling out of the hangar with the logo of China’s largest military aircraft manufacturer, Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). In the programme aired on Friday night, the aircraft had the AVIC acronym, rather than the People’s Liberation Army Air Force logo, indicating it is an export variant.
China has shown small models of the J-35A at international defence exhibitions, but it was the first time the export variant of the aircraft, dubbed the J-35AE, has been unveiled as a full operational model.
Hong Kong military commentator Liang Guoliang said the plane shown on CCTV was the J-35AE “complete product” that was “ready for export.” The J-35AE shown in the footage is equipped with a teal-coated electro-optical targeting system (EOTS), signaling advanced sensor maturity and survivability against infrared tracking, laser interference, and multi-spectrum detection.
“The EOTS is internally integrated into the fuselage, indicating a typical layout for a stealth fighter because using an electro-optical pod would compromise its stealth capabilities. Therefore, it is considered a complete product,” Liang said.
He said the J-35AE’s first export market would undoubtedly be Pakistan, while Middle Eastern countries might place orders in the longer term. “The wealthy oil-producing countries in the Middle East should have learned their lessons from the recent US-Israel war on Iran. It served as a stark warning to these nations: their security cannot depend on a single major power,” Liang said.
“Pakistan, also a Muslim country, has become a pioneer in this endeavour.”
Liang said that in the international arms market, the competition for cutting-edge equipment, such as fifth and sixth-generation fighters, was now clearly only between the United States and China. “Russia has lost its competitiveness. Even South Korea has surpassed it in some areas,” he said. “Now the world’s overall arms export market is basically dominated by the US, China and France. But for the most advanced military technologies, it is clear that the only competitors are China and the US.”
The J-35 series is China’s second fifth-generation fighter jet with full stealth capabilities after the J-20, and is widely considered to be China’s answer to Lockheed Martin’s F-35. Produced by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, Beijing first unveiled the land-based variant, the J-35A, at the Zhuhai air show in November 2024. The J-35A is the variant for the PLA Air Force, while the J-35 is the variant for the navy to operate on aircraft carriers.
Song Zhongping, a military analyst and former PLA instructor, said the J-35A was appropriate for export. “China’s military aircraft exports cannot rely solely on the J-10 family. The fifth-generation fighters also need export versions, and the J-35 is the most suitable choice,” Song said.
“It can be used on land and simultaneously as a carrier-based aircraft for naval aviation. With such flexibility, it can serve as an ideal export aircraft.”
Song said the electro-optical targeting and tracking systems on the J-35AE could complement radar as they provided better detection capabilities and effectively evaded enemy counter-detection. While the J-35A’s tactical capabilities were comparable to its Western counterparts, “political concerns” remained the key obstacle for China’s military aircraft exports, he said.
“The potential clients of China’s J-35 fighter jets will be the countries that downplay ideology and focus on technological capabilities.”
Pakistan has reportedly signed a deal with China to acquire about 40 of the J-35 stealth fighters following Beijing’s offer to Islamabad for possible sales as part of a broader defence package that also includes KJ-500 airborne early warning aircraft and HQ-19 missile defence systems.
The deal, if confirmed, would mark the first time China has exported a fighter jet equipped with full stealth capability. In June, AVIC posted a photo on social media of a Pakistani pilot undergoing training in the J-35A cockpit, further highlighting Islamabad as a potential user of the Chinese stealth aircraft.
Chinese weapons have played a big part in Pakistan’s military build-up. According to the global arms transfer database by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), up to 80 per cent of Pakistan’s arms imports between 2021 and 2025 originated in China. The Pakistan Air Force is operating 4.5-generation fighter jets from China as its main combat aircraft. The J-10C is built in China and the JF-17 is jointly manufactured by China and Pakistan.
The J-10C reportedly shot down Indian fighter jets, including at least one French-made Rafale, during the border clash near the disputed Kashmir region in May last year, marking its first air-to-air combat record. India disputes Pakistan’s claims.
