Authors: Sarmad Naeem and Muhammad Rauhan Rasheed

On the 26th of December 2024, two never-before-seen aircraft took flight in the skies of China. Onlookers gazed in amazement at these new designs as they took gracefully to the skies. As the images and videos went to the internet inside and outside China, it soon became apparent what these jets were and what they were meant for. To the surprise of the people of China and the world, China unveiled its long-rumored sixth-generation fighter aircraft. As this new generation of fast-jet fighters is still years from being in service, there is little understanding of what sixth-generation fighters are in the public sphere. However, PLA watchers suggest that this new generation of fighters, when fielded to be stealthier, fly for longer, use their weapons from longer ranges, fight with drones and loyal wingmen, and utilize network warfare while employing new advances and technologies such as artificial intelligence. Incorporating all these features makes these fighters big and heavy, and this new focus on their role may even change the definition of fighter aircraft as we know it.

China appears to have developed complementary models, each representing a different end of the sixth-generation combat aircraft spectrum—one prioritizing stealth, while the other emphasizes traditional fighter performance with some trade-offs in stealth capabilities. The Chengdu model appears to be focused on stealth, long-range attacks, and electronic warfare. In comparison, the Shenyang model strikes as more of a traditional high-performance fighter and less stealthy than the Chengdu model. These advanced stealth and long-range combat capabilities bode well for China’s plans to defend itself in the Taiwan Strait region, where China faces a significant challenge from the United States and its allies. Moreover, in the Western Pacific, the vast distances shape the conflict, forcing the U.S. to rely on stretched supply lines to reach forward bases like Guam, Japan, and South Korea, while China gains a strategic advantage by leveraging its proximity and stealth capabilities (provided by these newest combat aircraft) to strike U.S. assets operating far from home.

The development of modern battlefields is challenging for the current generation of stealth fighters, especially in terms of long-distance operations. As such, a new approach was needed for China to limit America’s options concerning its bases in the regions, such as those in Guam and its aircraft carriers, requiring fighting at longer distances. China’s new jets seem to be tailor-made for this fight. They are designed to penetrate highly contested and defended airspaces, striking America’s strategic assets from long standoff ranges. These new jets usher in a new and never-before-seen age of air combat.

It is evident that China is rapidly overhauling its armed forces, which is a clear sign of shifting the world balance of power. Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has enjoyed the status of the sole superpower in terms of military power. Yet, Beijing is taking bold measures to challenge Washington with its expanding arsenal of advanced weaponry, especially the new J-35 Stealth fighters, advanced AWACS systems, advanced naval vessels, particularly aircraft carriers, and its alleged new sixth-generation combat aircraft. The cat is out of the bag regarding China’s plans, as Beijing doesn’t seem to be deterred by Western aggression in its backyard.

China is actively pursuing its military modernization goals for 2035 and 2049, i.e., complete modernization of its armed forces and achieving a world-class military with global operational capabilities. This is not merely a story of creating advanced technologies but of cementing China’s strategic vision into the world order, particularly in its region of regard. More importantly, China has begun building the technical infrastructure and the operational plans that will be required for it to take Taiwan if it feels the need to compete with the United States and its allies within the South China Sea. The geopolitical stakes are at their peak, and Beijing is positioning itself to project power and engage on its own terms swiftly should a conflict arise. This is reminiscent of the Anglo-German rivalry in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when Germany’s rapid naval expansion and industrial advancements posed a threat to Britain’s dominance, leading to an arms race in Dreadnought battleships—akin to the U.S.-China race in other areas such as AI, quantum computing, and hypersonic missiles. Unfortunately, such deadlocks entail strategic miscalculations, which often lead to full-blown worldwide conflict, as witnessed earlier in the Anglo-German rivalry that fueled the First World War.