--- title: "China’s J-36 Tailless Fighter Zips Over Road On Landing Giving Us Our Best Look Yet" description: "A motorist captured the close-quarters video of the stealthy three-engine heavy tactical jet on approach to its home airfield in Chengdu. A motorist captured the dramatic close-quarters video of the jet on approach to a factory airfield in Chengdu." date: "2025-04-07" modified: "2025-04-07" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick.md" url: "https://www.twz.com/air/chinas-j-36-tailless-fighter-zips-over-road-on-landing-giving-us-our-best-look-yet" categories: - "Air" - "Air Forces" - "Around The Globe" - "China" - "Fighters" - "Indo-Pacific" - "J-36" - "News & Features" - "People's Liberation Army Air Force (China)" - "Stealth" --- # China’s J-36 Tailless Fighter Zips Over Road On Landing Giving Us Our Best Look Yet ![J-36 flies over highway]() *Chinese Internet Via X* New footage has emerged of [the largest of China’s two new tailless stealth fighters](), widely referred to as the J-36, although the designation remains unconfirmed. The video in question is perhaps the most impressive view of the aircraft so far and shows the unique three-engine jet on final approach to land at its [maker's factory airfield]() in the province of Sichuan in southwestern China. We don’t know for sure when the footage dates from, but it’s the latest evidence of the progress being made in the testing of both this and China’s other tailless stealth fighter, an aircraft you can learn more about [here](). Meanwhile, you can read our highly detailed analysis of *both* of these aircraft [in this special feature](). https://www.twitter.com/Clay_PLAPAP/status/1909137360706843026 The latest video comes after a relative flurry of recent imagery showing the J-36, following [its apparent first flight on Dec. 26]() and a [second appearance last month](). The footage is notable, however, for the fact that we see the aircraft at unusually close quarters, as it sweeps low over a freeway just outside the airfield perimeter. Filmed from inside a car, the J-36 is seen as it prepares to touch down, with its heavy-duty landing gear deployed, featuring twin wheels on each unit, and with its large twin split ruddervons working as stabilizing airbrakes, also clearly visible. ![]() *A screencap from the latest video. *via X** The video provides what’s probably our best view so far of the J-36’s cockpit area, which is notably streamlined with the top mold line of the forward fuselage. Combined with the aircraft’s very broad nose section, this strongly appears to indicate a side-by-side seating arrangement, with a single pilot’s helmet or ejection seat headrest visible. This seems to rule out a tandem two-seat configuration and a single-pilot cockpit also remains a possibility. ![]() **via X** In the side view of the jet provided in the video, we also get another good look at the dorsal engine air intake and its apparent [diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI)]() design, with a prominent hump and forward-raked upper area. As the jet gets closer to the runway, the camera also gets a good view of the exhausts for its three engines, a unique powerplant arrangement for a modern combat jet. ![]() **via X** The J-36 also wears some kind of splinter-type camouflage scheme, with distinct lighter-looking panels around the dorsal intake and aft of it. This is a feature that was visible in previous, much poorer-quality images showing the upper surfaces of the aircraft. Some kind of [mirror-like coating](), the like of which we have seen [on all of America’s stealthy tactical jets]() for testing purposes, should not be ruled out, either. Meanwhile, lighter-colored areas on portions of the leading edges of the wings indicate the likely presence of apertures for electro-optical/infrared sensors. https://twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1905181172948181264 https://www.twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1904780025892610307 The video has already been geolocated, confirming that it shows the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) factory airfield in the city of the same name, in Sichuan province, where the jet was first sighted back in December. https://twitter.com/RickJoe_PLA/status/1909164627067650514 ![]() *A view of the end of the runway at the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation airfield. At the bottom is the highway that the J-36 can be seen passing over in the new video. *Google Earth** ![]() *A wider satellite view of the CAC airfield, dated December 2024. *Google Earth** While the location of the factory airfield means flight testing is conducted in view of the public, this was also the case for [the J-20 stealth fighter](), prototypes of which have been seen making the exact same approach as the J-36. As we have [observed in the past](), in December, the airfield has also received a new shelter large enough to accommodate the aircraft on the flight-test line where aircraft are readied for sorties. This means the J-36 can at least be prepared for flight and undergo final checks while hidden from onlookers and satellites. A similar structure, with an access-controlled barrier around it, also appeared on the airfield’s primary apron last summer. ![]() *An annotated satellite image of the main CAC plant taken on Jan. 26, 2025, showing the two extended-width shelters that appeared there last year. *PHOTO © 2025 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION** ***A series of tweets showing imagery of the J-36 that has appeared since its apparent second appearance on March 17:*** https://twitter.com/happy_tom_cat/status/1905015710658838699 https://twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1905179636092305678 https://www.twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1906045813903458788 https://www.twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1905959653801955536 https://www.twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1904869234166899143 https://www.twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1904832673945727202 https://www.twitter.com/lfx160219/status/1904693910804586990 https://www.twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1904566025825235134 https://www.twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1904564007962341561 https://www.twitter.com/sugar_wsnbn/status/1904534034312503549 https://www.twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1903471392797884783 While the latest video of the J-36 on approach to the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation provides us with our best view so far of this still-enigmatic aircraft, the sheer quantity of imagery of the jet that has emerged in the last month or so points to a notable ramping up of test flying activity. As long as this goes on, new secrets about this intriguing design will surely be revealed. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()