Sixth-gen fighter could block airspace 1,000km from Chinese shore, military article says

In a future conflict over Taiwan, Beijing’s sixth-generation fighter could block the airspace to foreign bases in Guam for up to two hours from 1,000km away, according to a mainland Chinese military magazine.

The goal involving the next-gen fighter was created in view of People’s Liberation Army weaknesses against the American B-21 stealth bomber in a conflict within the first island chain, it said. The ginkgo leaf-shaped fighter is unofficially dubbed the J-36 and is in development by the PLA.

According to the article in Shipborne Weapons, a publication owned by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, when China’s sixth-generation fighter is in service, the PLA could not only intercept United States’ warplanes from penetrating the first island chain, but also conduct airspace blockades lasting one to two hours and suppress the air defence of bases in Guam from a distance.

“This will make it difficult for the US Navy and Air Force to maintain air superiority over the western Pacific and to intervene militarily in a series of operations by the Chinese military within the first island chain,” the Chinese magazine wrote in an analysis in the March edition.

Should they ever engage in a war over Taiwan, the mainland Chinese and US air forces would most likely focus on the fighting for control of the airspace about 1,000km (621 miles) from the Chinese coast, the article said.

In recent weeks, the Chinese stealth aircraft under development has been spotted repeatedly undergoing flight tests near the base of its developer, the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation, suggesting it is making rapid progress in its development.

In March, the US also announced its sixth-generation fighter, the F-47, but has revealed little further detail.

However, the B-21 Raider – described as the world’s first sixth-generation bomber by its developer Northrop Grumman – had its maiden flight in November 2023. The firm declared that production was “ahead of schedule and on budget” and that it aimed to deliver at least 100 aircraft to the air force in the mid-2020s.

  

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