The video showcases a computer-generated prototype of the new jet, notably featuring a side-mounted weapons bay housing two missiles.
The aircraft, captioned in the video as “Gyrfalcon,” has the name “J-31B” painted on its fuselage.
Fu Qianshao, a Beijing-based military analyst, said the label indicates that the fighter jet, which SAC has developed over more than a decade, is ready for combat.
“The conversion of the FC-31 to the J-31 indicates that the aircraft has met the official requirements for military service and has been given an official name,” Hu said.
01:19
China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force aims to improve pilot training for J-20 fighter jets
China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force aims to improve pilot training for J-20 fighter jets
Designed as a fifth-generation stealth fighter for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and eventually for export markets, the fighter has undergone extensive development and testing since its first flight in 2012.
The fighter jet was unveiled at the 2014 Zhuhai Air Show and is positioned as China’s version of Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation fighter, the F-35 Lightning II.
Once the fighter jet enters service, China will become only the second country to possess two stealth aircraft, after the US F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.
In 2013, early in the FC-31’s development, chief designer Sun Cong told state media that he hoped a variant of the plane would be deployed on the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s aircraft carriers, following in the footsteps of the J-15, a fourth-generation aircraft developed by SAC that is China’s only active carrier-based fighter.
State news agency Xinhua reported in 2015 that the J-31 would complement J-20 fighter jets in aerial combat and could also be paired with the J-15 as a carrier-based aircraft.
But analysts are unsure whether the model shown in SAC’s video is intended for shipboard use.
Hu, a retired PLA Air Force equipment analyst, said the “B” code indicated there could be multiple variants of the J-31, but it was unclear whether they would be carrier-based.
“that is [the B variant] “It could be carrier-based, land-based or for export,” he said.
Fellow military analyst Shi Hong said the J-31B appears to be destined for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force rather than the Navy because the front landing gear shown in the video is a single-wheel type, typically more suited to land-based aircraft than carrier-based aircraft, he said.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, is the first to be equipped with an electromagnetic catapult system. Its first official sea trials in May have sparked widespread speculation about when the PLA might unveil a fighter jet capable of launching using the system.
02:17
China airs footage of Fujian aircraft carrier equipped with advanced catapult launch system
China airs footage of Fujian aircraft carrier equipped with advanced catapult launch system
The J-31B shown in the video is also the first variant to feature side-mounted weapons bays, which could “significantly improve combat capability,” Shi said.
Each bay can carry two missiles, he said, adding that this distinguishes the J-31B from the U.S. F-22 Raptor and China’s J-20, which also have side-mounted bays but can only carry one missile per side.
“This will increase the weapon load and enhance the firing capability in close-range combat,” Shi explained in a video posted to his Weibo social media account.
