US media believe that China has built the world's strongest carrier air group with the combination of the KJ-600, J-35, J-15D, J-15T, and Zhi-20, which far exceeds the US military's carrier aircraft combination of E-2D, F-35C, F/A-18E/F, EA-18G, and MH-60R/S anti-submarine helicopters. Moreover, the US media also stated that China is building the world's largest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, with a full load displacement possibly reaching 120,000 tons, equipped with four electromagnetic catapults, capable of carrying about 100 J-35s, and its combat power will far exceed that of the Ford-class.
First, let us share that the US media said that China has already built the world's strongest carrier air group. After the service of the KJ-600 and J-35, in terms of carrier aircraft combat power, we indeed have a significant advantage over the US Navy.
KJ-600, a digital array carrier-borne early warning aircraft with anti-stealth capabilities
The first thing is the core of the carrier air group - the carrier-based early warning aircraft. Modern naval warfare covers a vast area and involves complex situations.
Especially during different stages of battle and combat, there are numerous tasks to be performed. It is necessary to centrally and uniformly command and allocate limited forces to the main direction and important times of the battle, while considering various combat needs comprehensively.
The carrier-based early warning aircraft serves as the outermost defensive barrier of the aircraft carrier group and is an important node in the combat network. This aircraft can provide early warning time for the aircraft carrier group, detect airborne aircraft, low-flying sea-skimming targets, surface ships, submarines operating at periscope depth, ports, and missile launch positions. It can also serve as a long-range attack command node to guide and direct carrier-based aircraft and missiles for offensive and defensive weapons.
For example, under the authorization of the formation command post, the carrier-based early warning aircraft can guide and direct aerial combat platforms to intercept airborne threats. When performing ground or sea attacks, it can calculate the flight plan and attack timing for other strike platforms based on pre-loaded or temporarily planned assault plans, generate scheme data and instructions, and guide the strike platform to attack land or sea targets.
Therefore, the performance of the carrier-based early warning aircraft directly affects the combat power of the carrier air group. Previously, the United States was the only country in the world with a carrier-based early warning aircraft.
The US carrier-based early warning aircraft, the E-2D, has its core being the AN/APY-9 ultra-shortwave (300 MHz ~ 3 GHz) reconnaissance radar developed by Lockheed Martin. The azimuth (instantaneous sector over 120°) and elevation directions are electronically scanned, and the azimuth can also be mechanically scanned, with a scanning range of 360°, a detection range exceeding 556 km, and improved detection capacity, flexibility, and accuracy for land-based and coastal targets, greatly enhancing situational awareness, and having a certain anti-stealth capability. Although the AN/APY-9 radar on the E-2D is a gallium arsenide active phased array radar, its technical system is a sub-array level digital array, belonging to a semi-digital phased array, and the transmitter is not digitized, still using analog signal technology.
KJ-600 is different. As a carrier-based early warning aircraft equipped with S-band (search) and UHF-band (anti-stealth) gallium nitride digital array radar, its performance is sufficient to surpass the US Navy's most advanced E-2D carrier-based early warning aircraft. Our KJ-600 is the world's first true anti-stealth carrier-based early warning aircraft.
Given that the US Air Force has explicitly proposed in the 2026 fiscal year budget to cancel the E-7 "Wedge Tail" early warning aircraft + procurement plan and prepare to procure the US Navy's E-2D early warning aircraft to replace the aging E-3 early warning aircraft, it proves that the US defense industry has not been able to produce more advanced and reliable equipment in the short term. Therefore, the KJ-600 will maintain its leading position for a long time in the future.
In addition to radar performance, as a command center, the information coordination capability of the KJ-600 is also far superior to the E-2D. The KJ-600 can achieve synchronization and integration of information from the sea, land, and air. In this way, it can provide coordinate information to the land-based rocket force, and it not only can guide shipboard anti-ship radar to destroy targets, but also can guide land-based radar to destroy targets, possessing cross-platform coordinated combat capabilities.
J-35 and J-15T compared to F-35 and Hornet
As for the J-35 and our J-15T, they are a complete碾压 of the US military's main carrier-based aircraft, the F-35C and the Hornet. It is worth noting that Wang Yongqing, chief expert of the Shenyang Institute of AVIC, directly stated that the J-35 is the most advanced carrier-based aircraft in the world. Every detail of the J-35 fighter jet embodies the most advanced design technologies and the wisdom of designers.
The J-35 is a typical supersonic configuration fighter, featuring a conventional medium sweepback small aspect ratio wing design, and a narrow spacing twin-engine outward-canted twin vertical tail layout. Many US media have spread rumors that China's J-35 is so advanced because it stole the core technology of the F-35.
However, in reality, the aerodynamic layout of the J-35 is not similar to that of the F-35. The F-35 has a clearly problematic layout structure, which is exactly the direction we want to avoid. The aerodynamic layout of the J-35 is somewhat similar to that of the F-22, except that it uses a more advanced DSI inlet. The vertical tail design uses a trailing edge swept design. Additionally, we can see that the outward-canted twin vertical tails of the J-35 are larger in area, indicating that the J-35 has superior low-speed large angle of attack and post-stall controllability requirements.
All of these indicate that the J-35 is a fifth-generation carrier-based aircraft focused on air combat, while also undertaking ground and sea attack missions, pursuing supersonic cruise capability and maneuverability. This is significantly different from the F-35, which focuses on ground and sea attack missions while also engaging in air combat.
In other words, if the J-35 meets the F-35, the F-35, which lacks supersonic cruise capability, can be destroyed by the J-25 with the PL missile at a distance of over 200 kilometers. After all, the F-35 is not an air superiority fighter, and it is very difficult for it to engage in air combat.
What about the ability to attack ground and sea targets? For carrier-based aircraft attacking ground and sea targets, there are three main factors: stealth performance, payload capacity, and missile strength. Unfortunately, the J-35 is completely superior to the F-35 in these three aspects.
Firstly, in terms of stealth performance, since the F-35C was designed to meet the demands of the client, too many things were added inside, causing the belly to be bulky and having too many curves, which directly affects the stealth effect of the F-35. Furthermore, the stealth coating on the F-35C is not suitable for the high-salt, high-humidity environment of the ocean and is prone to peeling off.
But our J-35 is different. By adopting various technical means including body shape optimization, composite material application, and stealth coating, it has excellent performance in radar cross-section (RCS) control. Especially our stealth materials are not the same as the F-35C's stealth coating, but are combined with the fuselage skin. This way, there is no problem of peeling off.
Secondly, in terms of payload capacity, the J-35 is designed with a balance between internal bomb bays and external payloads, allowing it to carry a considerable number of ground or sea attack weapons while maintaining stealth. Our J-35 has a payload capacity of over 8 tons, while the F-35C's maximum is only 7.7 tons.
Additionally, according to CCTV's publicly released images, our bomb bay dimensions and layout have been optimized to accommodate larger-sized or more numerous missiles.
Although the F-35 has strong payload capacity, its internal bomb bay size limitations may make it less flexible than the J-35 in certain weapon configurations. Especially when executing long-range strike missions, the J-35 can carry more heavy missiles or long-range cruise missiles, thus having an advantage in terms of strike range and power.
Finally, regarding missile performance, it is well known that there is a significant gap between the US and our missile technology. The US military still only has subsonic cruise missiles, while we now not only have supersonic cruise missiles but also hypersonic cruise missiles.
After discussing the J-35, the J-15T, as a heavy fighter, has a payload capacity of up to 10 tons, and can even be used as a tactical bomber. As a completely upgraded version of the J-15T, both its avionics system and radar performance have undergone comprehensive upgrades. It is definitely not comparable to the decades-old Hornet.
J-15D, with integrated soft and hard electronic warfare capabilities
Finally, let's talk about the J-15D, the electronic warfare aircraft, how to penetrate advanced air defense systems. The US Air Force and Navy chose different approaches. The Air Force developed and used stealth combat aircraft, reducing and controlling the electromagnetic signal characteristics of the aircraft to reduce the enemy's detection and attack range, compressing the enemy's attack zone and engagement time window. The Navy focused on developing and using electronic warfare aircraft, using electromagnetic energy to deceive, disturb, or paralyze the enemy's information equipment.
Many people pay attention to the F-22 and F-35, but in fact, the US Navy's carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft is the one that has been used the most in actual combat. It occupies a very important position in the US military's entire combat system and has played an extremely important role in many local wars. It successfully suppressed the enemy's air defense system in operations against Libya, the Gulf War, and the Kosovo War, completely mastering the electromagnetic spectrum, making the enemy's air defense system basically unable to function, ensuring the safety of penetration strikes. Now, carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft has been considered a core force of the aircraft carrier air wing.
The US Navy's 136th Electronic Warfare Squadron is equipped with the EA-18G "Growler" electronic warfare aircraft, which is modified from the F/A-18 "Super Hornet" carrier-based medium fighter. It is currently the only dedicated electronic warfare equipment of the US Navy and the only carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft in the world.
Certainly, the crown of the world's best electronic warfare aircraft now belongs to our J-15D. Due to the use of the same electronic warfare equipment as the J-16D, benefiting from the latecomer's advantage, as well as China's accumulation in radar technology, the performance of the J-15D is undoubtedly superior to the E/A-18G electronic warfare aircraft. As few as two J-15D aircraft can implement full-bandwidth electronic suppression and interference, including interfering with satellites, radars, mobile phones, and onboard communication equipment, easily making the enemy's advanced equipment become "blind", and the J-15D can also fire missiles for hard destruction, which means it has integrated soft and hard electronic warfare capabilities. This is why even the F-35 faces the risk of blindness and deafness when encountering our J-15D, and can be easily shot down.
Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier Is Coming
According to the information provided by the US media, our nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is about to come. According to the report by the US "Warrior Maven", China is building the heaviest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in history, with a full load displacement exceeding the 110,000-ton "Ford"-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the US Navy.
Since entering 2025, more than one US media has reported that China is building a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The CCTV had previously stated that China needs a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Therefore, regardless of the perspective, China's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier may really be coming.
Previously, the US media had reported that there were new changes in the cement aircraft carrier in Wuhan. The Wuhan cement aircraft carrier is not entirely made of cement. It is the core equipment of the new aircraft carrier being developed by China. It is equipped with radar and electronic equipment. During the design process, it can be used for testing and debugging of radio waves and communication signals. Its purpose is mainly to verify the reliability of the electronic equipment of the aircraft carrier, electromagnetic compatibility performance, and internal structure debugging, and to undertake some tests for aircraft deck scheduling.
It can be said that almost every change in the land-based cement aircraft carrier reflects the characteristics of the new aircraft carrier. Before the construction of the Fujian Ship, the Wuhan cement aircraft carrier also underwent changes. Therefore, at that time, the US media concluded that China had already prepared to build the 004 nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The world's strongest carrier air group, paired with a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is just the beginning for the Chinese Navy!
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7550330865734255150/
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