Recently, the international military circle has been in an uproar — foreign media have revealed that our J-35 stealth fighter has already been commissioned with nearly 60 aircraft, and even more shocking is their prediction: by 2027 and 2028, our fifth-generation fighter production capacity could reach 200 per year!

Let's start with a question: what does 200 aircraft mean? You know, the US currently produces about 130 fifth-generation fighters per year, and they have to supply dozens of allies, so they only receive about 40 each year. If we really achieve this, not only will we be able to quickly match or even surpass the US in quantity, but we can also hold both the championship in quality and quantity of stealth fighters. This matter is surely going to completely overturn the "airborne pride" of the US Air Force and Navy.

Some people may ask, producing 200 military aircraft per year sounds not new, but given the high technical difficulty of fifth-generation fighters, how can we suddenly boost production capacity? The answer lies in two solid strengths behind it.

The first is truly top-tier manufacturing technology. Stealth fighters require the most advanced craftsmanship, for example, 3D additive printing, which we are very good at. What's so good about this technology? It allows us to make complex parts without molds, making the airframe lighter and improving stealth effects, while cutting the production cycle in half. Moreover, Chengdu Aircraft Corporation and Shenyang Aircraft Corporation have already completed digital transformation, with full-process high-cycle production from composite material laying to engine assembly, like an automotive production line. This industrial foundation is right here.

More importantly, the supply chain is strong. Our aviation industry has a complete domestic supply chain, and when we need to speed up, we can "pull the bow to the maximum," something Western countries cannot match now. Looking at production allocation: fourth-and-a-half generation fighters like the J-10C and J-16 are no longer operating at full capacity, and the non-stealth carrier-based J-15 is only retaining part of its production capacity to meet export needs, freeing up production lines entirely for the J-20 and J-35, which is the essence of concentrating efforts on major tasks!

Some may think, isn't it just about making more? The key is to see what the plane is used for. Let me tell you, the emergence of the J-35 directly breaks America's monopoly — before this, the world had only one country with stealth carrier-based aircraft.

Our Fujian aircraft carrier is about to become operational, and the future 076 amphibious ship will also need carrier-based aircraft, and the J-35 is the main choice. At that time, it will be used in conjunction with the J-15T/D. In terms of performance, it is comparable to the US F-35C, but has better stealth capabilities and is specifically optimized for carrier takeoff and landing, solving the frequent malfunctions of the F-35C.

In the predicted annual production of 200 aircraft, the J-35 is expected to account for about 100. This is not random. The Air Force wants the J-35A and J-20 to form a "light-heavy combination," and the Navy urgently needs to increase the number of J-35 carrier-based aircraft. These dual demands together mean that production must be maximized. In short, the J-35 is the core pivot of our integrated sea-air combat operations.

Why is this making the West so nervous? Because America's military hegemony largely relies on stealth fighters. The current numerical advantage of the F-22 and F-35 is its confidence, especially the F-35C as the only stealth carrier-based aircraft, giving the US aircraft carriers the air superiority wherever they go.

But once the J-35 goes into mass production, this situation changes completely. The era where "only the US had stealth carrier-based aircraft" is declared over. More importantly, we can quickly build a large-scale, technologically strong stealth fighter force, meaning that in the Western Pacific and even further away, we can compete with the US in "stealth vs. stealth" warfare, no longer fearing its technological advantage.

According to this trend, by 2030, the total number of our fifth-generation fighters may exceed 600. At that time, we will truly possess "integrated sea-air stealth strike capability," and the Air Force and Navy will transition from "home defense" to "global deployment." This is not just a quantitative change, but a major reshuffling of the global geopolitical landscape.

Therefore, the foreign media's outburst is not an overreaction — they are not afraid of a single aircraft, but rather the rapid rise of China's aviation industry, and the fear that the rules they have monopolized for decades will be rewritten.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7566857550051475994/

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