By Kris Osborn, Warrior

Several public appearances of China’s mysterious J-36 stealth aircraft continue to raise new questions about the scope of its technologies, intended mission scope and actual ability to rival advanced US 5th and 6th-generation aircraft. 

After first appearing on social media in December, 2024, an occasion which developed no shortage of speculation and ad-hoc analysis, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force J-36 was subsequently captured a second time, adding a window of visibility of several different, previously unseen angles. The aircraft may be breaking some new ground and introducing as of yet unprecedented stealth configurations, as the fuselage resembles elements of both a stealth bomber and stealth fighter jet. It could almost be seen as a kind of deliberate hybrid blending of the horizontal blended wing-body design fundamental to high altitude bombers and a maneuverable, high-speed lower altitude fighter jet. The shape of the aircraft appears to incorporate elements of both, something which raises questions as to whether it represents a technical breakthrough or is instead an ineffective, overly ambitious effort to do too many things with a single aircraft. 

Fighter-Bomber combination

Could it be possible to engineer a “tactical stealth bomber” able to both carry large amounts of ordnance and perform fighter-jet-like air combat maneuvers? If so, it would suggest the PLA has made new aerodynamic breakthroughs, yet the appearance of these potential attributes may be an overly-ambitious effort to blend too many unique characteristics into a single aircraft. The diamond-shaped wing, however, does not appear to incorporate any tails, fins or vertical structures, a clear effort to reduce the aircraft’s radar signature. Similar to industry renderings of US Air Force 6th-generation designs, the J-36 indicates that both US and Chinese engineers may have found ways to maneuver and vector without needing tails and vertical structures typically used to manage air-flow and enable high-speed maneuvers. Available views of the fuselage show a large, smooth flat tactical bomber with fighter-jet like inlets beneath the wings. High altitude ultra-stealth bombers typically blend the inlet in the structure of the fuselage above the wing in a smooth-rounded configuration. The absence of hard edges or protruding structures lowers the ability of “electromagnetic pings” to bounce off a structure and deliver an accurate rendering or radar return signal. Such is the case with the US B-2 and B-21, as they are built to appear like a “bird” to enemy radar. 

The J-36, however, combines this kind of design with fighter-jet like attributes such as an angled, pointy nose for optimal speed and rectangle-like inlets beneath the wings similar to what is seen on the F-35 and F-22. While this might enhance fighter jet-like capabilities, it can decrease stealth effectiveness to a certain extent by increasing the radar signature. Stealth properties are of course also heavily influenced by heat signature, and its not immediately clear what kind of thermal management methods might be incorporated into the J-36. 

Perhaps the most significant element of the J-36 pertains to its apparent “3-engine” structure, something which could reduce stealth but potentially introduce new dimensions of speed, power and aerial agility. The third engine might represent an effort to bring F-22-like aerial maneuverability to a larger, heavier, bomber-like platform. While a 3rd engine might increase speed and offer vectoring possibilities for a larger bomber-esque platform, it likely challenges efforts to reduce heat emissions and could decrease stealth. Three engines would increase speed, however, and that is something which is a survivability enhancing attribute as well. 

J-36 Concepts of Operation

All of these variables raise questions about the intended Concepts of Operation for the fighter, because the J-36 could connect fighter-jet-like speed with bomber-like payload carriage. Available images of the J-36 do show a large internal weapons bay, something which raises the possibility of a lower, altitude tactical bomber able to fly with large, B-2-like ordnance payload. This allows an aircraft to operate with longer dwell-time and the ability to drop a larger number of weapons on target in a single mission. The larger body also means the aircraft could possibly fly longer missions by virtue of being able to carry more fuel than a standard fighter. 

Does the J-36 strike an optimal blend of attributes capable of introducing unprecedented air-attack possibilities? This certainly seems possible, yet there are still too many unknowns. For example, what kinds of sensing, mission systems or fire-control technologies does the J-36 have? Can it operate with F-35-like long-range high-fidelity sensors such that it can destroy enemy targets at standoff distances where it is not detected? What kinds of computing, fire-control and weapons interfaces does the aircraft incorporate?  Does it really achieve a new degree of stealth multi-role versatility? 

The PLA itself might not yet have the answers to all of this, as the aircraft may only be in a demonstrator, experimental phase not yet ready for production. There is evidence to support this, according to an interesting essay from the Aviationist which pointed out a forward data probe on the aircraft, something typically done during initial testing and assessment phases of new platforms for the purpose of collecting data for further analysis. 

Three Engines

  Some of the photos of the airframe’s underside show what could be three engines, something intended to enable advanced speeds.  

However, it seems three engines like this could raise challenges with thermal signature management and be more likely to emit a “heat” signature to enemy sensors. 

When analyzing the available images, the photos look consistent with the published preliminary analysis, as the fuselage appears like a “tactical bomber” to the observer. It features a blended wing-body stealthy horizontal configuration designed to operate with a low radar signature.

Yet, the shape of the aircraft also aligns with fighter jet engineering. Therefore, the aircraft presents as a “hybrid” of sorts, indicating a potential People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLA AF) effort to synergize or merge missions or enable a faster, more maneuverable, lower altitude aircraft capable of tactical bombing missions. 

The available photos of the aircraft offer a look from underneath the aircraft, and there appear to be internal weapons bays consistent with a stealthy design. Yet, the aircraft is also built with a sharp front end typically intended to maximize speed.

The fuselage configuration also reveals sharper, fighter-jet-like engine inlets and sharply angled jet wings shaped more like a 6th-generation fighter.

All of this raises the question of whether there is a strategic and tactical advantage to building a fighter-bomber hybrid or what could be called a “tactical bomber.” Unlike a higher altitude, a fully horizontal bomber such as China’s H-20 could be a faster, lower-altitude bomber that could potentially carry much ordnance closer to target areas while preserving an impactful measure of stealth.  

As opposed to a fighter jet, a tactical bomber brings the possibility of attacking a greater number of targets, given that it can operate with more weapons. Also, as a tactical fighter, the new hybrid might be quick and maneuverable to a point where it could elude or at least challenge enemy air defenses. A pure stealth fighter, by contrast, can drop some JDAMs and large laser-guided GBUs, yet its internal weapons bay is much smaller than this tactical bomber would be, and loading up in beast mode can compromise the effectiveness of stealth. 

Ultimately, it seems the actual margin of difference would pertain to performance parameters less visible to the observer, such as mission systems, sensing, computing, fire control, and weapons delivery.

Should this new tactical bomber operate with anything like a B-21, with the ability to perform command and control in the sky as a “sensor node” or an F-35, and the ability to maneuver against and attack air defenses, the new aircraft could indeed present an unprecedented threat. 

Kris Osborn is President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University