Fresh imagery of China’s J-XDS stealth fighter, also known as the J-50, shows the prototype in flight testing and suggests the programme’s configuration is still evolving. The images appear to capture the aircraft at low altitude near Shenyang Aircraft Corporation facilities, with visible changes including a painted radome, extended landing gear and wingtip control surfaces angled rearwards.
The new material adds detail to a programme that has already emerged in unofficial visuals, offering another look at the aircraft’s development status. The aircraft appears to have been on approach to land, based on the landing gear position and control-surface attitude.
The latest imagery remains unofficial, and Chinese authorities have not confirmed the aircraft’s exact designation, final configuration or programme maturity. Even so, the pictures indicate the prototype is still undergoing active testing rather than representing a fixed production-standard design.