Stunning Chinese Fighter Breakthrough: Stealth J-50 Has Message for the F-22 Raptor

China has been busy the past few months broadcasting the arrival of two new aircraft, the J-36 and the J-50, which are both considered 6th-generation stealth fighters. The J-50 has some intriguing characteristics.

Many wonder if the J-50 will fly circles around the American stealth fighters, “still grounded concepts,” as they said in Asia Times. 

J-50 Fighter from China. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

These new prototypes have only been flying for a couple of months and have yet to be even acknowledged by the Chinese government. They may not end up as production aircraft at all, but they may be a test bed for new technology.  

However, the F-22 Raptor, which has been in service for 20 years, is still the fighter against which all others are measured. But for the sake of comparison, we’ll look at the J-50 and the Raptor and see how they stack up. But keep in mind that everything about the J-50 is strictly projection right now.

Background on the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation’s (SAC) J-50

First spotted in December 2024, commemorating Chairman Mao’s birthday, the tailless twin-engine aircraft features a lambda wing design. The latest photographs reveal enhanced details, including Diverterless Supersonic Intakes (DSI), 2D thrust vectoring nozzles, and a tricycle landing gear system with a twin nose wheel.

Aviation experts have noted its inclusion of both ventral and side weapon bays, as well as a bulge beneath the cockpit that could house an electro-optical sensor, akin to the J-35’s equivalent.

This aircraft is part of China’s push into sixth-generation fighter development, though its classification remains uncertain due to undefined generational specifications.

The latest clearer pictures released by China have drawn aviation experts to an intriguing detail: the aircraft’s nose appears to lack the characteristic bump of a Diverterless Supersonic Inlet, a feature common in many modern stealth fighters. 

Observers on X have speculated that the J-50 might employ an innovative aerodynamic solution known as Boundary Layer Suction. This technology could reshape the aircraft’s performance in new ways. 

BLS reduces drag, enhances fuel efficiency, and improves lift, particularly at high angles of attack when the aircraft is maneuvering sharply. According to posts on X, such a system could reduce drag by over 20 percent, resulting in greater range, a significant factor in the Indo-Pacific region.

F-22 Raptor, Still The Gold Standard:

The F-22 was first built in 1996, and despite the passage of time, it remains the fighter against which all others are measured. This speaks volumes about how the aircraft manufacturers at Lockheed were so far ahead of their time. 

The F-22 Raptor is a proven twin-engine, stealth fighter designed for air superiority, capable of both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. It boasts advanced features like stealth technology, supercruise capability, and maneuverability, making it the most formidable dogfighter. The F-22 Raptor can fly at Mach 2 (1,500 mph) and reach altitudes exceeding 50,000 feet.

The design features include that the F-22, powered by two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines with afterburners and two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles, produces more thrust than any current fighter engine. 

The combination of a sleek aerodynamic design and increased thrust allows the F-22 to cruise at supersonic airspeeds (Mach 1.7) without using afterburner—a characteristic known as supercruise. 

Supercruise expands the capability of an aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds by using the engine’s dry thrust only. Afterburning thrust is needed for other aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds for just short intervals. But the F-22 can fly at supersonic speeds for long periods, as it doesn’t need to use fuel-draining afterburners.

The engines feature two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles with ±20°up and down movement for improved aircraft agility. This helps the F-22 make extremely tight turns and stand toe-to-toe with any fighter.

The Raptor possesses a sophisticated sensor suite allowing the pilot to track, identify, shoot, and kill air-to-air threats before being detected by enemy radar. 

Significant advances in cockpit design and sensor fusion improve the pilot’s situational awareness. The canopy of the F-22s cockpit has a thin layer of gold (a few atoms thick) on it to keep electromagnetic emissions from entering or leaving the cockpit. It gives the canopy that gold glow at certain angles.

In the air-to-air configuration, the Raptor carries six AIM-120 AMRAAMs and two AIM-9 Sidewinders. It also carries one M61A2 20mm cannon with 480 rounds and Internal side weapon bays that can carry 6+2 missiles in Air-Air configuration.

The F-22 can carry two 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions internally and uses onboard avionics for navigation and weapons delivery support in ground attack mode.

The F-22’s airframe is made of high-strength materials like Titanium alloys and composites, which enables it to withstand the heat and stress of sustained supersonic flight.

The airframe is coated with special radar-absorbent materials that absorb radio waves. This, along with the shaping of the airframe, gives the Raptor its stealth characteristics.

It is challenging to make a direct comparison between the F-22 Raptor and the Chinese J-50. All capabilities of the J-50 are just projections from a few photos that were released by the Chinese. It may be a fantastic top-of-the-line stealth fighter or just a prototype being used as a test bed for future technologies. 

The F-22 Raptor is a proven design that has been in service for about 20 years. It is still the best fighter on earth, until we see something different. That could be the J-50 or the F-47.

About the Author:

Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications