An exciting picture of the Chinese Shenyang J-35 stealth fighter has been shared online and has revealed some fascinating details about its features. The fighter, also known as FC-31, with a serial number of 35003, is standing straight on the ground with maintenance staff around it. The picture that was released recently, as you can see below, is of high resolution as compared to those images that were revealed last year when it was captured during its flight. You can see the opened canopy of the aircraft, its fascinating grey paint, and a national symbol on its tail.
As per the reports, the aircraft shown in the image is a “second flying prototype.” Moreover, the aircraft comes up with some new and impressive specifications that include a “flying shark” logo. The same logo is engraved on the J-15 carrier-based fighter jets of “The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)”. This means the aircraft will also exhibit its operations for naval-based activities. Not only this, the new paint and other displayed markings on its body demonstrate that the Chinese authorities are continuously upgrading the aircraft and making new improvements with every passing day.
Coupled with this, we can now clearly see the canopy design and its internal configurations in these images. From this, we can conclude that the canopy of the J-35 is somewhat similar to that of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, as it has a similar opening style and an integral bulkhead. Although the rear canopy of the F-35 doesn’t have any bulkhead overall, the design parameters of J-35’s canopy are somewhat inspired by that of Lockheed’s Martin F-35 fighter jet. However, it has been reported that the reason behind designing this canopy is to integrate “lift fan and other associated unique elements” during short take-off and vertical landing (SVTOL).
Let’s talk about the engines of the fighter jet. The engine of this second prototype comprises exhaust nozzles and “rear fuselage cowlings”. You would be amazed to know that the second version of the J-35 has been using the “WS-13Es” feature for the generation of power as compared to the Russian “RD-93s” which were incorporated into the prototype of the fighter jet. But it should be noted that both these WS series and RD-93s depict the same performance parameters, so there will not be any considerable difference in the operational efficiency of the engines.
However, it has been expected that the aircraft might make its appearance at the Zhuhai Air Show this year. Then we can further analyze its fittings and other performance parameters along with the equipment installed in much detail.