Can China find a market for its fifth-generation J-35 warplanes?

South China Morning Post · Feb 21, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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China’s push to sell its J-35 fifth generation fighter jet in the Asia-Pacific was likely to face stiff competition from US rival the F-35 as well as cheaper alternatives, military analysts said after the plane featured at this year’s Singapore Airshow.They said political and economic considerations apart from performance would weigh on potential buyers, and questioned how many countries would want to buy the Chinese plane.In Singapore this month, the booth operated by China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation, representing the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country’s largest military aerospace company, featured a half-size model of the J-35A, the air force variant of the plane.The J-35A spent more than a decade under development by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of AVIC. It was officially delivered to the People’s Liberation Army last year, after featuring in a major military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.China has been promoting the sale of the jets overseas, displaying models at various international defence exhibitions, including last year’s Paris and Dubai air shows.