New images have surfaced from China, purportedly showing prototypes of a new warplane — Chinese sixth-generation fighter jets with futuristic design and tailless flying wing.
The images, taken from a video on Chinese social media sites, show the aircraft flying over a highway near the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group in Sichuan province.
The video shows the J-36 fighter with a triangular tailless design flanked by a fifth-generation J-20 fighter jet.
The J-36 jet, which has taken the internet by storm, is likely to put China possibly ahead of the US in the race of sixth-generation fighters.
What Is Specific About J-36 Jet?
One of the features that have caught attention is the use of three engines in J-36, which has led to speculation over the design feature or the advanced technology that is required to run the jets, according to the South China Morning Post. Normally, most fighter jets have twin engines to balance the need for power and balance in case one of the engines fail.
The third engine in the newly developed aircraft could suggest increased thrust, ability to carry heavier payloads and long-range missions.
The aircraft has been developed by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation and its serial number suggested it had been designed as the J-36. Another photo surfaced showing another aircraft design with V-shaped wings and twin engines- provisionally named the J-50.
🔴 Çin’in 6. nesil savaş uçağı J-36’nın yeni görüntüleri ortaya çıktı. pic.twitter.com/ENu75GgVKk
— Conflict (@ConflictTR) April 20, 2025
As per the Chinese media reports, the J-36 plane is around 23 metres long and weigh around 45,000-54,000 kg. It likely includes the latest stealth technology, avionics and powerplant and airframe engineering, CNN reported.
The development of the fighters have also posed questions about the role of these jets in future war and China’s progress in developing next-generation technology.
The Chinese government hasn’t publicly acknowledged the existence of either the J-36 or J-50.
Other countries to join the race to develop a sixth-generation fighter include UK, Japan and Italy, France, Germany and Spain.
However, fighter jets generally takes around 20 years to deliver from the initial concept and the development of the sixth-generation fighter jets began in the last 2010s.
The SCMP report said that the conceptual design of a sixth-generation Chinese fighter were unveiled in late 2022 and it took another 2-3 years to arrive into a real-life prototype.
