Chinese state-run media claimed earlier this month that one of the country's three aircraft carriers had tested a new type of fighter jet, likely to be the J-35, that has been described as "superior" to its American counterparts.
On September 13, China Central Television reported that earlier this year a new combat aircraft landed on CNS Liaoning, China's first operational aircraft carrier. The report quoted Zhang Naigang, an officer on the Soviet-built warship.
Military observers have been speculating about the J-35, a Chinese next-generation carrier-based fighter jet, state-run newspaper China Daily reported, although the officer did not specifically mention any details about the new type of fighter jet and the tests that have been done on the carrier.
According to photos published previously by the state-owned newspaper Wen Wei Po, a full-scale J-35 mock-up was seen on the Liaoning in February. The report said the aircraft was "superior" to the United States Navy's F-35C Lightning II fighter jet.
The report on the flight tests came as all of China's aircraft carriers were underway simultaneously for the second time this month. The Liaoning was conducting flight operations in the Philippine Sea as of Friday.
The Chinese navy currently operates a single type of carrier-based fighter aircraft, the J-15. Its structure and flight control system are based on Russia's Su-33 Flanker-D carrier-based fighter jet, while its radar and weapon systems are domestically developed.
The J-15 was developed for China's two ski-jump-equipped aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the second in service CNS Shandong. Unlike American aircraft carriers, both use an upwardly curved "ski jump" ramp instead of catapults for fighter jets to take off.
Japan's defense ministry, which tracked and reported the Liaoning's movement, published three photos on Friday showing several J-15s parked on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier, with takeoffs from the ski jump visible in at least two of the photos.
Zhang, who conducted flight trials with the J-15 on the Liaoning in 2012, said he had observed the first landing and takeoff of a new warplane on the carrier.
"The warplane is very beautiful," he told China Central Television.
Chinese Military Aviation, a specialist blog focusing on the country's warplanes, said the J-35 was developed from the FC-31, a Chinese stealth fighter. It was initially expected to be deployed with CNS Fujian, China's first catapult-equipped aircraft carrier.
Photos of a full-scale J-35 fighter jet mock-up on the Liaoning indicated it can be operated from the two ski-jump-equipped aircraft carriers as well, being the "high" part of a high-low mix carrier-based air wing with the "low" J-15, as they can supplement each other.
Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese defense ministry for comment by email.
The U.S. Navy operates the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and F-35C Lightning II from its aircraft carriers. The Super Hornet is a major upgrade from the legacy F/A-18C/D Hornet to meet current fighter escort and interdiction mission requirements, maintain air defense and close air support roles, and increase the range of missions, according to the Navy.
The Lightning II is a radar-evading fifth-generation fighter jet that has two more variants: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A and the short takeoff and vertical landing F-35B.
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