China's J-36 Prototype

By Martin Armstrong - February 22, 2026

China’s military has for the first time shown a new, tailless combat aircraft widely identified by analysts as their sixth-generation fighter jet J-36, a large, unconventional prototype that flew in public alongside a J-20 chase plane and has reignited debate about whether Beijing is closing the technology gap with the West.

The alarm over China’s J-36 stems from its potential to fundamentally alter the strategic balance in the Asia-Pacific. It represents a generational leap beyond the F-22, not just in technology, but in its very concept of how air combat will be fought. Where the F-22 is a dedicated “air dominance” fighter, the J-36 is designed as a massive, stealthy “flying command center” built for long-range operations.

The J-36 is reported to operate effectively above 65,000 feet (20,000 meters), giving it a literal “high ground” over the F-22, which has a service ceiling around 59,000 feet (18,000 meters). This allows the J-36 to spot the F-22 first while remaining harder to detect itself. The 2023 incident where an F-22 struggled to intercept a Chinese balloon at 65,000 feet (20,000 meters) is often cited as a practical example of this limitation.

British_Airways_Concorde

I flew in the Concorde which traveled across the Atlantic from London to NY in about 3 hours at a height of 60,000 feet compared to 40,000 feet for conventional aircraft. When you look out the window, I could see a 747 flying below which looked tiny from that altitude. When you looked above, it was dark as if you could see the start of Outer Space, although technically that starts at 264,000 feet. If the J-36 can fire of a F-22 from that height, this would be an awesome weapon.

The J-36 likely carries . . .

[SnIP]