China created its clone of the American F-35: stealth fighter J-35 was shown at the air show

Experts say that China wants to show its ability to counter the US in the air .

China has publicly shown its latest stealth fighter for the first time, built as part of efforts to gain military superiority over the United States. The Financial Times writes about it.

The J-35A fighter was presented on Tuesday at the opening of the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in the city of Zhuhai (southern China). The presentation included a five-minute aerial demonstration. A deck version of the J-35 for an aircraft carrier was also presented. 

While the detailed specifications of the J-35 remain classified, analysts see the creation of the fighter as a turning point in China's efforts to modernize its military and challenge US dominance in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly around Taiwan.

Military analyst and former director of of operations at the US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center Carl Schuster believes that the presentation of the new aircraft was intended to send “a message that [China's armed forces] are equal to the US and the rest of the West”.

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“US forces have enjoyed … air supremacy in every conflict since World War II. China's growing air power is challenging this traditional Western superiority,” – he added.

As the Financial Times notes, with the deployment of the J-35, China has joined the list of countries capable of producing more than one series of stealth fighters. Until now, this list was limited only to the USA itself. What's more: the US has already stopped production of its F-22 Raptor, so China is actually the only one in the world that is not only capable of producing two models of stealth aircraft, but is doing it right now.

However, analysts believe that technologically China is still behind the US by at least 10-15 years.

Peter Leighton, a researcher at the Royal Joint Services Institute research center, noted that the J-35 entered service almost 10 years after the American F-35 and appeared when Washington is already working on next-generation aircraft. But China's economic performance means that the J-35 may be easier and cheaper to manufacture than its expensive US counterparts. managed to steal a lot of technical information about the American F-35 stealth fighter. This may explain why the Chinese J-35 is so similar to it. And not only by name.