China’s Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC), a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), has accelerated production of its J-35 stealth fighter, with recent footage showing a green-coated J-35 completing its first flight of 2026 at the SAC airfield in Liaoning province. Two J-35s, fresh from the production line and lacking tactical grey coating, were displayed parked nearby, signaling steady output following the jet’s official commissioning by the Chinese military last year.
SAC’s new factory complex, completed by June 2025, spans 4.2 square kilometers and received an 8.6 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) investment in 2023. It forms part of the larger Shenyang Aerospace City, covering 79.2 square kilometers. The facility pledges to double total warplane production over the next three to five years through intelligent manufacturing and full-chain support systems, entering mass production this year.
Parallel efforts target the J-20, with production rates stabilizing at 120 aircraft annually. Estimates place over 300 J-20s in service by September 2025, up from 208 in November 2023 and 150 in August 2022. In 2025, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force inducted 120 J-20A and J-20S variants, alongside 100-170 other fighters including J-16 and J-10 models.
The J-35 features land-based and naval variants for the Fujian carrier, China’s first domestically built vessel with electromagnetic catapults. In September 2025, J-35s completed catapult-assisted takeoffs and arrested landings aboard Fujian. Powered by twin WS-21 or improved WS-13 engines, the J-35 reaches Mach 1.8 and carries 6-8 tons of payload. Projections indicate 1,000 J-20s and 200-300 J-35s by 2030, enhancing PLAAF and PLAN capabilities.