The J-36 is a sixth-generation fighter jet developed by China. It adopts a fighter-bomber integrated design, combining air combat and ground attack capabilities, and possesses superior stealth, high speed, and long-range combat performance.

Design Features: 

The J-36 adopts a tailless diamond-delta wing layout, significantly reducing its radar cross-section (RCS value less than 0.01 square meters). It is equipped with three engines (two turbofan engines on either side and a central compression-ignition ramjet engine), enabling supersonic cruise and high maneuverability. Its side-by-side dual cockpit and large internal weapons bay (capable of carrying weapons such as the YJ-21 hypersonic missile) support multi-mission execution.

Performance Parameters:

*Speed and Range: Maximum speed approaching Mach 4, combat radius exceeding 3000 km, capable of covering the second island chain without aerial refueling.

*Weapon Systems: Payload exceeding 12 tons, capable of carrying PL-17 long-range air-to-air missiles (range 500 km) and precision-guided ground-attack munitions.

*Avionics and Collaboration: Equipped with a high-power active phased array radar (detection range 500 km) and an AI-assisted system, supporting collaborative operations with UAV swarms.

Strategic Significance: 

The emergence of the J-36 has significantly enhanced the Chinese Air Force's long-range strike and area denial capabilities, directly threatening US bases in the Second Island Chain and forcing the US to adjust its force deployments. As a core node in the air combat system, it collaborates with platforms such as the J-20 and drones, reshaping the sub-space warfare landscape.

Which fighter jet is the strongest in the world? Chengdu J-36 reigns supreme! As one of only two sixth-generation fighter jets in the world, the J-36 is considered to be in a class of its own among global fighter jets due to its unique three-engine design, superior stealth capabilities, massive stealth weapons bay, high speed, long range, and leading avionics and radar performance. Since its maiden flight, discussions about it have never ceased.

US Media Perspective: "Super-Heavy" Stealth Sixth-Generation Fighter

The US website "The War Zone" provided an in-depth analysis of the J-36. Without official statements, external analyses of the J-36 are like glimpses of the whole picture, but even so, some of its features are already astonishing.

Its side-by-side two-seat design is extremely rare in the fighter jet field. Since the F-111 and Su-34, side-by-side two-seat configurations have been considered exclusive to fighter-bombers. However, the J-36 seems to have embarked on a multi-role path, for which it has also designed a complex and large internal stealth weapons bay. This design is not simply an "inheritance" of the combat concepts of the F-111 and Su-34, but an innovation based on current and future combat needs.

In contrast, AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) began planning the development of a two-seat version of the J-20 five years ago, and similar plans were made for the J-35 during its development phase. The emergence of the J-20S represents AVIC's pioneering breakthrough in this field.

The J-36, with its side-by-side two-seat layout, maximizes pilot communication and control. Even with future advancements in AI, it can adapt to changes by expanding its drone fleet, demonstrating a simple yet efficient design philosophy.

Australian Media Perspective: "Aircraft Cruiser"

The Australian website *The Strategist* has described the J-36 as an "aircraft cruiser," a claim that is not unfounded. Breaking news from US media reveals that the J-36 has a maximum takeoff weight of 62 tons, comparable to the size of a second-generation Boeing 737 passenger jet—a weight figure that has left US military experts deeply concerned.

Compared to the US's current F-22 fighter jet (37 tons) and F-35 (31 tons), the J-36 is nearly twice as heavy as the main US fighter jets. This weight difference brings significant combat advantages:

• Firepower: Within its 62-ton airframe, it can accommodate a nearly 7-meter-long central module and modular weapon bays on both sides exceeding 4 meters in length, easily carrying four PL-17 ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles (range 500 km) and four PL-15 medium-range missiles. This configuration doubles the firepower of the F-22's "6+2" configuration, further dwarfing the F-35's stealth capability due to external payloads.

• Breakthrough in range: Its massive airframe significantly increases its fuel capacity, extending its combat radius to over 3,000 kilometers, even covering the second island chain where Guam is located. Combined with the PL-17 missile with a range of 500 kilometers, the J-36's actual control range can reach 3,500 kilometers.

• Mission Flexibility: The honeycomb titanium alloy frame on the fuselage allows for rapid replacement of electronic warfare pods or drone swarms, transforming it from an air combat platform into a command center in a short time, blurring the lines between fighter and bomber.

“The world can’t see its combat targets!” Foreign media assessments of this fighter further demonstrate its powerful combat capabilities; currently, it is “unrivaled.”

Combat Objectives: An Elusive Strategic Deployment

US media assessments suggest that the world seems unable to discern the J-36's combat objectives. While its design features indicate a strong multi-role capability, this "multi-role" attribute is unlikely to be utilized for the relatively secondary ground/sea attack role at present.

For the J-36, designed to be among the world's top military forces, its formidable maneuverability, akin to "falling ginkgo leaves," is essential for leading swarms of drones and engaging high-end adversaries in medium- and long-range air combat. Until it gains a clear advantage, the J-36 will focus on enhancing its air combat capabilities to meet potential future high-end air combat challenges.

Power System: The Brutal Aesthetics of a Three-Engine System

On March 17, 2025, the three exhaust plumes revealed during the J-36's test flight unveiled its unique three-engine power system. This asymmetric thrust configuration of two main engines and one auxiliary engine represents a major breakthrough in aerospace engineering. Two modified WS-15 turbofan engines are tilted at 35 degrees (some sources suggest three WS-15s), combined with a retractable auxiliary engine on its back, generating a total thrust of 440 kN, exceeding the combined thrust of three F-22 engines.

In full afterburner mode, the J-36 accelerates from a standstill to Mach 1.5 in just 8 seconds, a full 12 seconds faster than the F-35A. The vectoring nozzles of the auxiliary engine enable the J-36 to perform the classic "Cobra" maneuver at supersonic speeds.

The combination of intelligent skin and a variable-cycle engine allows the J-36 to increase its bypass ratio and reduce fuel consumption at subsonic speeds; while at supersonic speeds, the shape memory alloy frame can expand the wing area by 15%, enabling the airframe to withstand 9G overloads even at Mach 2.5. This revolutionary power design has solved the thrust bottleneck of the 62-ton super-heavy fighter jet, the J-36.

Flight Test Progress: A Paradigm of China Speed:

The flight test progress of the J-36 is a prime example of "Chinese speed." Since its maiden flight on December 26, 2024, the J-36 has completed five public test flights in just four months. From the second test flight, which canceled the J-20 escort and demonstrated its autonomous flight capability, to independently retracting its landing gear and flying, verifying the airframe's basic reliability; from the exposure of images showing three exhaust plumes, signifying the maturity of the three-engine coordinated control technology, to completing the challenging in-flight fuel dumping test, demonstrating the flight control system's pass of extreme testing, each test flight signifies a further step in the J-36's technological maturity.

In stark contrast, the US NGAD project is still embroiled in heated debate over the choice between single and dual engines, the prototype is still not finalized, and the $3.2 billion price tag per aircraft has faced strong opposition from Congress. The J-36's overwhelming progress reflects China's powerful strength and efficient R&D capabilities in the aviation field.

J-36;

J-36 fighter;

J-36 fighter jet.