China has tested the new generation J-35 fighter jet on the aircraft carrier

In the video, a senior NCO on the Liaoning told CCTV about the historic tests, confirming that the J-35 had successfully taken off and landed from the carrier; the released videos, however, do not show the J-35 taking off or landing.

Details about the exercise have been scarce and it is unclear when and where the footage was shot, although news reports confirm that the carrier-based variant of China’s FC-31 stealth fighter, also known as the J-35, has begun its first tests on the carrier.

China currently has only one carrier-based fighter, the J-15, which entered service over a decade ago, but there have been rumors of a carrier-based variant of its new fifth-generation fighter . The J-15 is a fourth-generation jet whose weapon and fuel load is limited by its heavy weight.

In July 2022, what appeared to be some of the first images of the J-35 stealth fighter carrier prototype surfaced online. The J-35 is an estimated 22,000 pounds lighter than the J-15 it would replace, but is still heavier than US naval fighters.

The Chinese Navy previously released a video in February 2023 of a young naval pilot preparing to fly what appeared to be a new jet aircraft.

With the test, China’s Navy is preparing to take a major step forward in its carrier air capabilities.

Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, has a Soviet-style ski jump ramp for launching aircraft, which limits what types of aircraft can operate on the carrier and what specific cargo can be carried.

CNS Fujian, China’s third aircraft carrier, has made a major technological leap to an advanced catapult launch system similar to the US Navy’s new Ford-class aircraft carriers, meaning Fujian can launch aircraft with heavier payloads. for exits.

Experts and former Navy personnel previously told Business Insider that Fujian would allow China to field more modern aircraft it is currently working on, such as the transport variant of the J-35.