China Names FC-31 Carrier-Launched 5th-Gen Stealth Jet “Gyrfalcon” – to Rival US Navy F-35C

By Kris Osborn, President, Warrior

The Chinese military has taken a new step with its carrier-launched, stealth fighter jet intended to rival the US F-35C, by formally naming the FC-31 5th-generation aircraft the Gyrfalcon.

The new aircraft, which has been in development for many years but only exists in the form of a few prototypes, closely resembles the F-35 in terms of its fuselage and external configuration. However, not only does the aircraft simply not exist in operational numbers in terms of any combat or “air-fleet” presence, but its capabilities are very much an open, if even unanswered, question.

The aircraft, designed as an ocean-launched multi-role fighter, has been described in Chinese-government-backed newspapers in recent years as a stealthy 5th-generation fighter upgraded with advanced, a soon-to-integrate domestically-built Chinese engine (like the J-20) and a stealthy, F-35-like internal weapons bay. The Chinese papers, such as the Global Times, have also discussed a number of key upgrades to the plane throughout its development. 

Should the emerging aircraft operate in any way comparable to a US Navy F-35C, it could go a long way toward closing the PRC’s massive ocean-launched 5th-gen deficit with the US and its allies. However, the US, Japan and South Korea together already operate hundreds of F-35s in the region when forward positioned US Navy carriers and amphibs are considered. Certainly the Pentagon has expressed concerns about China’s growing domestic production capacity, something which might further close this gap in coming years.

However, apart from its mere existence, there are many relevant, if somewhat difficult to discern, answers and questions associated with the emergence of this aircraft. Specifically, to what extent can it truly rival or match US Navy 5th-generation F-35B and F-35C? Answers to these kinds of questions likely occupy some unknown or yet-to-be-answered space, yet they pertain directly to sensing, computing, mission systems, fire control, weapons integration and of course stealth properties. 

For instance, even if the FC-31 appears stealthy, that does not instantly translate into an F-35-like ability to sense, target and destroy enemy targets at standoff ranges with long-range high-fidelity sensing. A stealthy FC-31 exterior, which may or may not contain F-35-like radar absorbent materials and composites, does not mean the FC-31s computing, data library or mission data files, are in any way comparable to the F-35, nor does it indicate any kind of similar weapons range, guidance and targeting precision. 

Software upgrades, for instance, continue to expand the F-35’s weapons envelope, range and targeting precision, and there are likely questions to answer about many of the FC-31s. US Air Force wargames, such as Red Flag, have for instance shown that the US F-35 is able to see, target and destroy groups of 4th-generation fighter jets from distances where it remains undetectable. The range and resolution of these sensors, coupled with the computing and software enabled weapons capability, suggests the F-35 operates with a unique advantage when compared with other fighter jets. How would the FC-31 compare in these respects? The relative quality of many of its purported attributes would certainly prove less relevant if the aircraft could not see the F-35 while being targeted and destroyed by an F-35. What if it is simply out-ranged?