China unveils new stealth jet and 'space-air fighter'

These are scenes from the 15th Zhuhai Air Show in China. While there was plenty of entertainment flying above, the show also gave the People's Liberation Army a chance to showcase some of its latest advancements in weapons technology. Here are some of the most eye-catching items to come out of this year's show. For starters, the air show saw the unveiling of China's newest 5th Gen. stealth fighter, the J35. Not much is known about the craft other than it looks a lot like Lockheed Martin's F35. Chinese state-run media says the J35 was designed mainly to carry out the task of seizing and maintaining air supremacy. China showed off the J35A variant during the air show. The plaque is reportedly developing AC variant as well, which will be used to take off and land on one of three aircraft carriers. The People's Liberation Army Navy are currently building and testing both. The J35 variants are noticeably smaller than China's first stealth fighter, the J20, also known as the Mighty Dragon. At this year's air show, for the first time in public, a group of J20 stealth fighters performed a series of aerial maneuvers to showcase both the skill of the pilots and just how nimble J 20s are. Mighty Dragons bear a striking resemblance to the US made F22 Raptor and are designed primarily for air to air combat. Also like the Raptor, another aircraft was also unveiled at the show. Really. A mock up of an aircraft. It's called the White Emperor. China says the alleged 6th generation stealth aircraft is an integrated space air fighter, able to fly at supersonic speeds and then leave Earth's atmosphere. It's not really clear if China is actually developing the White Emperor or if this is misdirection. China had major problems making jet in domestically and still does, so it seems unlikely the PRC suddenly made such drastic leaps forward in developing a power source for such a craft as the pacing challenge to the United States military. The People's Liberation Army is also heavily invested in developing drones and other unmanned combat aerial Vehicles, or UCAPS, like the CH7, developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. In conjunction with the air Show, the Plath released this video of the CH7 taking off from an unknown airstrip. Development on the UK have started years ago and it looks pretty similar to US made stealth bombers like the B2 Spirit and B21 Raider. Like those US made aircraft. China designed the Chapter 7 to be a stealth bomber, but it's going to be an uncrewed stealth bomber. China says the Chapter 7 can penetrate enemy airspace at high altitudes to engage targets using precision guided bombs, and the unmanned feature of the plane has the potential to revolutionize China's long range bomber capabilities. Speaking of bombers, China is still working on developing its H20 heavy stealth bomber. A video board at air show China displayed a rendering of the bomber flying in formation with some fighters. When there is more to report on the H20, believe me, we will have it for you. Of course, air dominance isn't just about what sort of planes you can put up, but what sort of planes or weapons you can take down as well. To that end, Air Show China also saw the unveiling of the new HQ 19 Long Range Surface to Air missile system. Basically, China's version of the US made THAAD ER system. The mobile launcher carries 6 interceptors which can take down aircraft but are primarily designed to use against ballistic missiles. The HQ 19 has reportedly been in service with the PLA for some time, so the public unveiling is seen as a way for China to further project force in the region. Lastly, while it was an air show, the PLA Navy wanted to make a splash too. This Trimoran is the PLA Navy's newest unmanned warship called the Killer Whale. Chinese media says it's 190 feet long, can cruise at 40 knots, and has a range of around 4000 nautical miles. In a rather familiar theme, the Killer Whale looks a lot like the US Navy's Littoral Combat ships, which were designed to have swappable weapons components depending on the mission. While the US Navy did away with swapping out weapon systems on its LCS vessels, it looks like the PLAN are leaning into the idea. Beijing says the killer whale can perform maritime patrols, surface warfare, anti submarine operations, air defense missions, or search and rescue operations. Now, just because China claims its weapon systems can perform certain tasks up to certain levels doesn't mean they actually can. But military planners cannot take that chance. So if China claims its new warships or planes can operate effectively against US methods of detection and interdiction, then weapons makers in the US will need to develop new ways to stay ahead. And the cat and mouse game that is warfare will continue. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Ryan Robertson. For more of our unbiased straight fact reporting, be sure to download the Straight Arrow News app today or log on to san.com.