Particle.news
Download on the App Store
16 ARTICLES
·
yesterday

Pentagon Confirms China’s J-36 and J-50 Are in Flight Tests as U.S. NGAD Advances Toward 2028

U.S. officials place China’s effort on a mid‑2030s track comparable to NGAD.

J-50 Fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons/Screenshot.
Maj. Nicholas Helmer conducts a mission over the Mojave Desert on October 8, 2024. The F-35C aircraft is assigned to the 461st Flight Test Squadron, F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The aircraft's dual markings of United States Navy Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine (VX-9) and 461st FLTS represents the joint mission of the Integrated Test Force. The F-35 ITF includes people and aircraft from the United States Air Force, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, foreign partners, Air Force Reserve Command 370th FLTS, and the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center's 31st TES. (Courtesy Photo, Lockheed Martin Edwards Team)
NGAD Fighter Mock Up. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
China Aircraft Carrier. Image Credit: Chinese State Media.

Overview

  • The Defense Department’s 2025 China Military Power Report says two distinct Chinese sixth‑generation designs began initial flight testing as early as December 2024 and remain in active trials.
  • Open‑source imagery and reporting tie the land‑based J‑36 to a tailless, blended‑wing planform with internal bays, with 2025 footage consistent with early envelope‑expansion testing.
  • The carrier‑oriented J‑50 shows twin engines, reinforced landing gear and possible wing folding, and analysts emphasize that sensors, software and networking will likely matter more than airframe shape.
  • Boeing contends the U.S. Air Force’s F‑47 NGAD has entered production, with a first‑flight goal in 2028 after classified DARPA and Air Force demonstrators flew in 2018 and 2022 to de‑risk the program.
  • A GE Aerospace executive says Chinese jet engines are improving but still lag U.S. reliability, the newest prototypes’ powerplants are not yet identified, and the U.S. is pursuing adaptive propulsion for NGAD and F/A‑XX.