Has China hinted for the first time that it is ready to export its stealth fighter to Pakistan? | policy

In a move that observers considered the first indirect official indication of Beijing’s readiness to export its fifth-generation stealth fighter, the Chinese state television channel showed a complete model of the export version of the J-35AE fighter, during a celebratory program on the occasion of International Labor Day 2026, with Pakistan widely expected to be the first recipient of this advanced aircraft.

The appearance of the Chinese J-35 stealth fighter in a special program on Chinese official television raised a fundamental question in military circles: Has Beijing moved from the fifth generation development stage to the export stage, and has it placed Pakistan at the forefront of potential markets?

Exceptional appearance

The Chinese newspaper South China Morning Post reported that a video clip broadcast by the Chinese Central Television channel during the special program “Heart to Heart” on the occasion of International Labor Day showed a J-35A with the distinctive serial number 001 emerging from an aircraft assembly platform bearing the logo of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the largest manufacturer of military aircraft in China.

The plane appeared in the footage as the land version “J-35”, with one front landing wheel, unlike the naval version designated for aircraft carriers, which features two front landing wheels to enhance the ability to land on short surfaces.

The fighter also bore the abbreviation “AVIC” instead of the logo of the People’s Liberation Army Air Forces, indicating that it was an export version commonly called the J-35AE.

This indirect method of presentation, through a public program celebrating workers and the Chinese dream, was a message carrying a political and symbolic dimension, stating that the stealth fighter is no longer just a technical project, but rather that China is ready to highlight it as an exportable national power tool.

Completed product

The newspaper quoted military expert Liang Guoliang as saying that he “saw this television appearance as something beyond a celebratory shot,” considering that the plane that appeared in the program was the export version of the J-35AE in the form of a “completed product.” He stressed that “what was shown on the screen is not a prototype in the testing phase, but rather a fully-component fighter that is actually ready for export.”

This level of sensory and processing integration is usually not presented in official media until the platform has passed the initial development stages and is ready to be marketed to specific buyers.

by Military expert Liang Guoliang

The military expert explained that the fighter appeared equipped with an advanced electro-optical system for targeting and reconnaissance (EOTS) integrated into the fuselage of the aircraft, and explained that “integrating an electro-optical system of this type into the fuselage of the aircraft is an essential feature in the design of modern stealth aircraft, because the external pod increases its radar signature and undermines the stealth feature.”

Liang considered that this level of sensory and processing integration is usually not presented in official media until the platform has passed the initial development stages and is ready to be marketed to specific buyers.

Fifth generation for export

The newspaper reported that Beijing had unveiled for the first time the land version of the J-35AE aircraft, produced by Shenyang Corporation, at the Zhuhai Air Show in November 2024, and that the J-35A version is intended for use by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

Chinese military expert and former officer in the People’s Liberation Army, Song Jongping, placed the emergence of the J-35A in a broader context related to China’s arms export strategy, as he believes that China’s dependence in military aviation exports on the G10 family alone is no longer sufficient, stressing that “Chinese aviation industries need to also transfer the fifth generation to export markets, because technological progress cannot remain confined to domestic use,” according to what the newspaper reported.

Song considered that the J-35 is the most suitable candidate for this role, explaining that “the fighter has exceptional flexibility, and can be adapted for land use in the air force or for use from a naval platform on aircraft carriers. This makes it an ideal choice for countries that wish to build advanced, multi-role air capabilities.”

At the same time, Song did not ignore the political aspect, and pointed out that the biggest obstacle to exporting stealth fighters is not technical, but political, stressing that “potential customers for the J-35 fighter will mainly be countries that do not make ideology a decisive criterion in their defense deals, and focus only on technical capabilities, cost, and flexibility in transferring technology.”

Pakistan is at the forefront

In light of this vision, a number of Chinese analysts have placed Pakistan at the forefront of candidates to obtain the J-35AE. The South China Morning Post quotes media reports stating that Pakistan has signed an agreement with China to purchase about 40 J-35 stealth fighter aircraft, following Beijing’s offer to Islamabad to sell them as part of a broader defense package that also includes KG-500 airborne early warning aircraft and HQ-19 missile defense systems.

The newspaper shows that in June, AFIC published a photo on social media of a Pakistani pilot training in the cockpit of a J-35AE, which made Islamabad the first potential user of the Chinese stealth aircraft, and if this agreement is confirmed, it will be the first time that China has exported a fighter plane equipped with full stealth technology.

Chinese weapons have played an important role in enhancing Pakistan’s military capabilities. According to the Global Arms Transfer Database of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, up to 80% of Pakistan’s arms imports between 2021 and 2025 were from China.

With this estimate, Liang, who is one of the most prominent followers of Chinese weapons programs, believes that the first export market for the new fighter will undoubtedly be Pakistan, and that this deal may constitute a model that will be re-applied later with other countries that have close relations with Beijing.

However, despite the many indicators provided by the Chinese media and experts, there is still a gap between the political signals and the officially announced decision, and expectations remain regarding when the first deal will be officially announced, of what size, and whether Pakistan will actually be the first country to fly on board the newest Chinese stealth fighter outside the national borders of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.