J-50 "Ghost Dragon": China's Sixth-Generation Fighter Jet Reshapes the Global Air Power Order in All Aspects

"Radar cross-section of 0.001 square meters, Mach 5.5 top speed, AI command of 200 drones"—While the US is still debating the naming of its sixth-generation fighter jet, the J-50's exhaust plume has already etched new rules into the clouds.

I. Design Revolution: A Revolutionary Physical Architecture
1. Dimensions: Precise Balance for Carrier Adaptation

Airframe Layout:
Overall length 22 meters, wingspan 14 meters (unfolded) / 7.2 meters (folded), height 4.8 meters, empty weight 19 tons, maximum takeoff weight 33 tons. These dimensions are specifically optimized for carrier operations—the folded width is 3 meters less than the J-15, increasing the Fujian's carrier-based aircraft capacity by 40%.

Landing Gear Reinforcement:
The nose landing gear uses a titanium alloy dual-wheel structure, capable of withstanding landing impacts of 7 m/s; the rear landing gear's hydraulic buffer stroke is increased by 30%, adapting to the high acceleration loads of electromagnetic catapults.

2. Aerodynamic Innovation: A Tailless "Transformer"

Lambda Wing System:
A 55° sweep angle on the inner wing section (supersonic cruise) + a 30° sweep angle on the outer wing section (low-speed takeoff and landing), seamlessly switched via a nickel-titanium shape memory alloy frame, reducing drag by 18%.

All-moving Wingtips Replace the Vertical Tail:
They fold into a straight line to reduce drag during high-speed flight, and rise to act as rudders during dogfights, enabling a 360° "falling leaf" maneuver within 5 seconds in conjunction with two-dimensional vectoring nozzles.

II. Stealth Performance: From "Invisible" to "Non-existent"
1. Four-Dimensional Dynamic Stealth Technology

Intelligent Skin System:
A nanoscale graphene coating incorporating rare earth elements (terbium, dysprosium) and silicon carbide fibers dynamically adjusts radar wave reflection characteristics, reducing the X-band radar detection range to 40 kilometers (compared to 120 kilometers for the F-22).

Structural Stealth Design:
The under-fuselage "grooves" utilize the principle of acute-angle scattering to deflect radar waves; the pitot tube is replaced with laser speed measurement, eliminating metal reflection sources.

2. Infrared and Acoustic Stealth

"Clamshell" Exhaust Nozzle:
The nozzle is deflected upwards by 15°, combined with fuselage heat shield tiles, resulting in an infrared signal strength of only 40% of the F-35's, reducing the infrared missile lock-on distance to 8 kilometers.

Ultra-Quiet Design:
The serrated edges of the air intake cut through the airflow noise, combined with the wide-chord hollow fan blades of the WS-19 turbofan engine, achieving a noise level of only 85 decibels at 200 meters (equivalent to a family sedan).

III. Sensing and Electronic Warfare: Quantum-Enabled Global Vision
1. Radar System

Main Detection Array:
The nose is equipped with a quantum radar, operating in L/S/X/Ku bands, with a detection range of 350 km against stealth targets. It can simultaneously track 50 targets and guide 16 missiles.

Distributed Aperture System:
Twelve EODAS electro-optical sensors are embedded in the fuselage and wing roots, achieving a 360° spherical field of view and an infrared imaging accuracy of 1024×1024 pixels.

2. Electronic Warfare and Network-Centric Capabilities

Electromagnetic Spectrum Suppression:
Wingt-tip pods emit 120 kW microwaves, capable of disabling radar systems within a 400 km radius; during a 2024 East China Sea exercise, this caused the fire control radar of a Japanese F-15J to remain blacked out for 15 minutes.

Quantum-Encrypted Data Link:
Transmission rate of 500 MB/s (10 times that of 5G), supporting real-time sharing of battlefield holograms with J-36 fighters, KJ-600 early warning aircraft, and Attack-11 UAVs.

Modular Mission Switching

Anti-Access Mode: When equipped with YJ-21 anti-ship missiles, 12 J-50 fighters can launch 24 anti-ship missiles at a range of 1,000 kilometers within 12 minutes, paralyzing the carrier strike group.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Carrier Mode: The bomb bay can accommodate 20 "Dark Sword" suicide UAVs, with an AI command group launching a suicide assault on radar stations/missile sites.

V. Flight Performance: Redefining Speed Boundaries

1. Power Core
WS-15 modified engine:
Twin engines with a maximum thrust of 18 tons × 2, adjustable bypass ratio of 0.25 to 1.2, supporting supercruise at Mach 1.8 for 3 hours; maximum sprint speed of Mach 5.5 (Shanghai to Taipei in just 7 minutes).

2. Range and Takeoff/Landing Characteristics

Combat Radius:
With standard payload, it reaches 2,200 kilometers; with buddy refueling, it can cover Guam; if launched from the Fujian, its control range extends to the second island chain.

Shipboard Adaptability:
Electromagnetic catapult takeoff weight 32 tons, landing approach speed 400 km/h (F-35C 240 km/h), recovery efficiency improved by 40%.

VI. Strategic Impact: Restructuring of the Global Air Power Landscape
1. Technological Overtaking and Arms Race Imbalance with the US

NGAD Program in a Passive Position:
The unit price of the US sixth-generation fighter jet F/AXX has soared to $300 million (compared to approximately $120 million for the J-50), and the prototype has not yet made its maiden flight; the Navy's F-45 "Tomcat II" has been exposed for copying the tailless design of the J-50.

Combat System Generation Gap:
US military simulations show that 12 F-35s against 6 J-50s + 24 drones have an exchange ratio of 1:4.3; the F-22's "first detection rate" against the J-50 is only 1:3.

3. Global Defense Market Reshuffling

The End of F-35 Hegemony:
Turkey, Brazil, and other countries have suspended F-35 purchases and are instead inquiring about the export version of the J-50 (FC-50); Saudi Arabia has expressed preliminary interest in an "oil-for-fighter" deal.

Air Combat Theory Innovation:
NATO has revised its "Air Combat Doctrine 2030," adding chapters on "UAV swarm countermeasures" and "hypersonic interception," acknowledging that "traditional early warning systems are ineffective against China's sixth-generation fighters."

J-50 fighter jet;

J-50 fighter;

J-50