China has opened 2026 by pushing its newest carrier-based stealth fighter into the spotlight, with the J-35 taking to the air in fresh test flights that signal a rapid move toward frontline service. The latest sorties, featuring unpainted “green” airframes and coordinated flights of multiple jets, suggest that the program is shifting from prototype experimentation to structured production and operational testing.
For regional militaries and planners in Washington, Tokyo, and beyond, the J-35’s early year activity is a concrete sign that China is intent on fielding a fifth generation carrier air wing capable of operating across the Western Pacific. The pace and choreography of the new flights indicate that the aircraft is no longer a distant concept but an emerging tool of power projection.
New Year flights mark a visible milestone for the J-35
The first flights of 2026 showcased the J-35 in a raw, unpainted configuration, often described as “green skin,” underscoring that these are fresh off the production line rather than refurbished prototypes. Video from China highlighted a J-35 lifting off in this unfinished state as part of the New Year test campaign, a visual cue that structural and systems validation is now being applied to newly built airframes rather than a single demonstrator. Multiple reports described the fighter as kicking off its first flight of the New Year, framing the event as a symbolic and practical start to an intensive test schedule.
Chinese coverage emphasized that the J-35 is a carrier-based stealth fighter, designed for operations at sea and tailored to launch and recover from aircraft carriers. The aircraft’s New Year flights were presented as part of a broader aviation push, with the manufacturer hosting the first flights of 2026 for the J-35 and other warplanes to demonstrate confidence in its production capabilities. The messaging around these early January sorties positioned the J-35 not as an isolated project but as a flagship element of a wider modernization of China’s combat aviation.
From prototypes to production: SAC’s role and the “Signals First” message
Behind the scenes of the New Year flights is The Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, the builder responsible for turning the J-35 design into a fleet of operational jets. Social media posts tied to Shenyang Aircra highlighted a “first flight of the new year” and explicitly framed it as SAC Signals First Production Aircraft of 2026, a phrase that points to a transition from experimental prototypes to production-standard machines. The language around Signals First and Production Aircraft of suggests that at least one of the aircraft now flying is intended to represent the configuration that will be delivered in numbers, rather than a one-off technology demonstrator.
Additional footage and commentary reinforced that these are not isolated test hops but part of a coordinated ramp-up. One clip labeled SAC Signals First J-35 Production Aircraft of 2026 showed a J-35 taking off in a structured test profile, while related reporting described the manufacturer hosting the first flights of 2026 for the J-35 stealth fighter jet and others at its facilities in Shenyang. Together, these details indicate that SAC is using the early Jan window to showcase its ability to produce and test multiple fifth generation fighters in quick succession, a key marker of industrial maturity.
Carrier focus and expanding mission profile at sea
The J-35 is consistently described as a new-generation stealth carrier-based fighter, built primarily for air superiority but also capable of precision strikes and other multirole tasks. Chinese sources stressed that it is designed specifically for maritime operations, aligning it with China’s growing fleet of aircraft carriers and ambitions to shift from near-sea defense to far-sea operations. The aircraft has already completed static compatibility tests with carrier-based launch equipment, an important prerequisite for catapult or ski-jump launches at sea, and is expected to conduct actual carrier-based flight tests as the program advances.
This carrier orientation gives the J-35 a distinct strategic role compared with land-based fighters. Reports noted that the jet is intended to support operations from near-shore waters out to the first and second island chains, a geographic shorthand that includes the East China Sea, South China Sea, Philippine Sea, and broader Western Pacific. By pairing stealth shaping with carrier suitability, the J-35 is positioned as a tool for China to project airpower across contested maritime zones, escort carrier strike groups, and provide both offensive and defensive coverage for naval task forces operating farther from the mainland.
Twin-jet test flights hint at higher tempo and mass production
One of the most telling developments in early 2026 was the appearance of two newly produced J-35 fighters flying together in a coordinated test. Reporting on these twin sorties described them as the first known joint flight of two newly produced J-35 fifth generation fighters, a step that goes beyond basic airworthiness checks and into formation tactics, systems interoperability, and coordinated mission profiles. Conducting such a joint flight implies that more than one aircraft has reached a similar stage of readiness, a classic indicator that a program is entering a higher tempo of testing and pre-operational evaluation.
Other analyses framed these developments as evidence that China is entering high-speed stealth fighter production, with the J-35 moving toward mass production as a fifth generation airpower asset. The aircraft is characterized as a multi-domain sensor-shooter node rather than a standalone dogfighter, highlighting its role in collecting, processing, and sharing data across the battlespace. This emphasis on sensor integration suggests that the J-35 is being built to plug into a wider network of ships, aircraft, and ground systems, enabling it to cue long-range weapons, support targeting for other platforms, and operate as part of a distributed kill chain across the Western Pacific.
AVIC’s broader flight schedule and what it signals for 2026
The J-35’s early 2026 flights are not occurring in isolation but within a larger campaign orchestrated by China’s aviation industry. AVIC has officially launched the new year’s flight schedule for its combat aircraft, and the J-35 features prominently in that lineup as a headline stealth platform. Coverage of the schedule highlighted that China’s J-35 stealth fighter takes first flights of 2026 from facilities in Liaoning Province, reinforcing that the program is now embedded in routine industrial and test planning rather than treated as a rare or experimental event.
Chinese outlets also underscored that the J-35’s New Year test flight in Shenyang, still in its nonstandard finish rather than the usual stealth gray, is part of a deliberate effort to showcase progress in aviation and military development. By tying the fighter’s flights to the broader New Year narrative and to AVIC’s structured schedule, Beijing is signaling both domestic and foreign audiences that the J-35 is moving steadily toward operational status. For regional observers, the combination of production signals from SAC, twin-aircraft test flights, carrier compatibility milestones, and a formalized 2026 flight program points to a single conclusion: China intends the J-35 to become a central pillar of its carrier aviation and a key factor in the balance of airpower across the first and second island chains.