Images of China's mysterious J-36 stealth fighter hint at escalating military ambitions

By Tony Wesolowsky | 2025-03-24

China recently revealed its latest stealth aircraft in action for the second time, images and videos circulating on social media show -- a display that coincides with Beijing's recent efforts to ramp up its military aggression in the Asia-Pacific region.

Footage of the aircraft -- unofficially dubbed "J-36" -- appeared across social media in China on March 17 and was reported elsewhere, including by Global Times, an English-language newspaper run by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The report said the authenticity of the videos and images "remains unverified."

The timing of the reported test flight may not be an accident. The CCP has used similar military unveilings in the past to send political messages.

According to the newspaper and other media, China debuted the sixth-generation fighter jet on December 26 -- the birthday of Mao Zedong, the CCP's founding father -- a clear nod to the party's ideological roots.

'A threat today'

US defense officials and analysts have warned of China's growing investment in its military as Beijing continues to flex its muscles in the South China Sea, which it claims almost entirely in defiance of an international arbitration ruling that declared its stance baseless.

"I've been closely watching the evolution of [China's] military for 15 years. China is not a future threat; China is a threat today," Frank Kendall, a former US Air Force secretary, said in September.

China shows no signs of putting the brakes on defense spending. On March 4, China announced it was raising defense spending by 7.2% in 2025 to "firmly safeguard" national security.

China ranks second in the world in defense spending, behind only the United States, which has earmarked $850 billion for 2025.

The reports of the stealth-aircraft test flight comes as China has been steadily bolstering its military aggression across the Asia-Pacific region, engaging in increasingly provocative encounters with regional forces.

In recent weeks, Chinese fighter jets have repeatedly harassed Australian aircraft, including dropping flares in the path of an Australian surveillance plane over the contested South China Sea.

Similar incidents have occurred with Australian naval forces, with Chinese destroyers allegedly using sonar pulses against divers in waters near Japan.

At the same time, Beijing has intensified its confrontations with the Philippines, with a Chinese navy helicopter flying dangerously close to a Philippine surveillance plane near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in February -- part of a series of "dangerous" provocations aimed at asserting its sweeping maritime claims.

Seeking air superiority

Beijing also is escalating military pressure on Taiwan. From February 10 to 12, Taiwan's National Defense Ministry reported 62 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft sorties near the Taiwan Strait, with 45 crossing the median line into Taiwan's airspace.

The surge in incursions, coupled with the presence of PLA naval vessels near the strait, underscores China's growing willingness to challenge regional stability.

The Global Times report on the test flight did not include when or where it had taken place, nor did it publish still images from video footage.

Instead, it included an image that the PLA Eastern Theater Command posted on January 1 in a New Year's greeting.

That visual depicted a gingko leaf and a bird, which resemble the outline of not only the J-36 but of another new stealth aircraft that was also spotted on December 26.

Both aircraft are likely meant for an air superiority role, according to Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of Air Combat Command, which oversees the US Air Force's fighter, reconnaissance and electronic warfare fleets.

"Those sixth-generation aircraft, we believe, are for air superiority," Wilsbach said on March 4 at an Air & Space Forces Association event, FlightGlobal reported.

While China's stealth technology is advancing, military analysts caution against overestimating its capabilities.

Despite its rapid advances, China's military faces challenges, including whether it has the human capital, structural ability and political will to take on and beat the United States in a conventional conflict, according to the assessment.

The PLA "has struggled to attract top-tier talent, particularly from China's best universities," another RAND report, published January 30, found.