China’s carrier-borne stealth fighter has a name. On April 23, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation confirmed that the J-35 naval variant will carry the official designation “Blue Shark” — formalising what had been rumoured since the Zhuhai Airshow in late 2024. But the name is the least interesting part of the story. Behind it lies a production ramp-up, a new assembly plant, and an export variant that could reshape the global stealth fighter market. The J-35 is China’s answer to the F-35C. If Beijing’s timeline holds, it will be operational on the Type 003 carrier Fujian before the decade is out — giving the People’s Liberation Army Navy a stealth-on-stealth capability that only the United States currently possesses.

From Prototype to Production Line

The J-35’s development has been remarkably fast by Chinese standards. Shenyang completed a new final-assembly facility in late 2025. In January 2026, the company released footage of a green-primed J-35 conducting its first flight of the year, alongside images showing two aircraft parked together on the ramp — a clear sign that production is accelerating beyond single-digit airframes.

Acceptance flights of both the J-35A (ground-based) and J-35B (carrier) variants were confirmed in early 2026 — the first PLA aircraft flight-tested that year. South China Morning Post published rare close-up imagery suggesting the carrier variant is nearing readiness for deployment aboard the Fujian.

The Export Wildcard

Perhaps the most consequential development is the J-35AE — an export variant reportedly offered to Pakistan. If Islamabad purchases the jet, it would become only the third country to operate a fifth-generation stealth fighter, after the United States and China. The geopolitical implications are significant. Pakistan currently flies the JF-17 Thunder (co-developed with China) and aging F-16s. A stealth fighter would fundamentally alter the India-Pakistan air balance. New Delhi operates the Rafale and is developing its own Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), but neither is yet in the stealth-versus-stealth category that a J-35AE would create.

Blue Shark vs Lightning

Comparisons with the F-35 are inevitable and instructive. The J-35 appears to be a twin-engine design — giving it more thrust and potentially better range than the single-engine F-35C. But the F-35’s sensor fusion, electronic warfare suite, and decade-long operational head start represent advantages that cannot be closed overnight. The real question is not whether the Blue Shark matches the Lightning today. It is how fast the gap closes — and whether a J-35AE on the export market forces countries that cannot afford the F-35 to choose sides. China named its shark. Now the ocean gets crowded.

Sources: The War Zone, Army Recognition, South China Morning Post, Global Times, 19FortyFive