China Touts J-35 Stealth Jet With Palm-Sized Radar Cross Section

State media claims carrier-based fighter can evade detection with advanced shaping and metamaterials.

Ryan Ewing

Monday, September 29, 2025 at 09:52 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: Steve Spears

China's J-35 [Credit: Wikimedia Commons]

Key Takeaways:

China's new J-35 carrier-capable stealth fighter is reported to have an exceptionally small radar cross section (RCS), described as "smaller than a human palm," attributed to its shaping and metamaterial coatings.
The J-35 has successfully completed carrier trials, including electromagnetic catapult launches and arrested landings, on the Type 003 carrier Fujian.
Analysts suggest the J-35's estimated RCS (10-100 square centimeters) is comparable to the U.S. F-35, potentially allowing it to approach air defense systems more closely before detection.
Despite public claims and recent trials, outside defense analysts caution that the J-35's actual performance and capabilities remain largely unverified and a "black box."

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China’s new carrier-capable stealth fighter, the Shenyang J-35, is being touted as having a radar cross section (RCS) “smaller than a human palm.” The Global Times reported that state broadcaster CCTV credited the aircraft’s shaping and domestically developed metamaterial coatings as the primary contributors to this reduced radar visibility.

The same report quoted aerospace analyst Wang Ya’nan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge, who described the palm-sized RCS as “very small” for a fighter of this class. The disclosure followed a statement from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) that the Type 003 carrier Fujian had completed electromagnetic catapult launches and arrested landings with the J-15T, KJ-600, and J-35.