The second Chengdu J-36 prototype was spotted in flight recently and shows major design modifications.

Introduction

The second Chengdu J-36 prototype was recently spotted in flight and shows significant design modifications from the initial prototype which first flew on December 26, 2024. The Chengdu J-36 is one of three 6th Generation stealth fighter prototypes the Chinese are known to be flying.  The other two are the Shenyang J-50 and an undesignated stealth fighter that is probably Chengdu's competitor to the J-50.

Design Modifications

The second J-36 prototype showed three major design changes from  the first J-36 prototype. They include:

• Engine Inlet Design - The first prototype had a more traditional inlet design, similar to those found on the American F-22 Raptor. The second prototype had abandoned that inlet design in favor of Diverterless Supersonic Engine Inlets (DSEI), similar to those found on Chengdu's own 5th Generation stealth fighter, the J-20 Mighty Dragon.
• Main Landing Gear - The second prototype sports a single axle, double wheel main landing gear as oppsed to the first prototype's tandem main landing gear. This modification would increase internal volume available for both weapons and fuel.
• Engine Exhaust - The first prototype sported trough style engine exhausts, similar to those found on the American YF-23 Black Widow II. This design led many to believe that the J-36's primiary mission was not a dog fighting air superiorty fighter, but a long-range fighter-bomber designed to attack the Second Island Chain and a long-range missile platform to defend against American naval assets in the region. However, the second prototype is now sporting two-dimensional (2D) thrust vectoring nozzles, simliar to those seen on the American F-22 Raptor. This last change casts doubts as to the actual mission the aircraft has been dsigned for. The 2D nozzles may also help give additional control of this tailess design. The two available grainy photographs only show two exhaust nozzles cleary. It remains to be seen if all three engines sport these 2D nozzles. We will have to wait until clearer photos or photos from different angles appear in order to make this determination.

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