After months of speculation and leaks, new imagery has emerged offering the clearest view yet of China’s highly secretive sixth-generation tactical fighter jet, unofficially known as the J-36. The head-on image, apparently captured from a DSLR camera and reflected in a smartphone screen, shows the scale, design, and configuration of this next-generation warplane.
The newly surfaced image of the J-36, a product of Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, is the first to clearly show the aircraft’s broad bubble canopy, mounted atop an equally expansive nose section. The configuration confirms earlier analyses suggesting the jet seats two crew members side-by-side, echoing historical designs like the F-111 and Su-34. From this frontal perspective, the massive scale of the aircraft becomes unmistakable, something easily missed in previous side-angle shots.
Also visible in the image is the dorsal air intake, part of a three-engine layout, and a prominent diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI) with a distinctive “hump.” The article notes that while side profiles may understate its bulk, this frontal view “really underlines the proportions and mass of Chengdu’s next-generation tactical jet design.”
Other key features include lower trapezoidal intakes, reminiscent of the F-22, and a unique gold-tinted electro-optical (EO) window on the side of the nose, likely housing high-performance sensors.
The authenticity of the image hasn’t been fully verified, but as the article notes, “it was only a matter of time” before such a perspective would leak, following the familiar pattern of unofficial reveals from inside China’s military-industrial ecosystem.
Meanwhile, only days before, clearer images of another stealth aircraft, the Shenyang-built J-50 or J-XDS, also began circulating. Though smaller than the J-36, the J-XDS remains a heavyweight design and includes a host of next-gen features: a blended canopy-fuselage profile, swiveling wingtip control surfaces, a single-seat cockpit, and a bulky forward nose section seemingly designed to house a large AESA radar.
The J-XDS also sports a bottom-mounted EO/IR blister, visible without its protective glass, as well as F-22-style thrust nozzles and what appears to be a complex internal weapons bay configuration. Some design aspects, like the side bay access doors, remain ambiguous.
Both aircraft were first seen via unofficial footage believed to show their maiden test flights on December 26, 2024, and as the original article notes, “by summer we will likely have a look at all angles of both aircraft.”
