Front view of Chinese tailless stealth aircraft hints at long-range strike role

This is a cleaned-up, artistic rendering of the Chengdu J-36 stealth aircraft, as it appeared in a photograph that surfaced on Chinese social media in May 2025. (Janes)

A photograph of Chengdu's new, in-development tailless stealth combat aircraft shows that the prototype has side-by-side seating for the flight crew. The configuration indicates that the aircraft is being developed as a long-range fighter-bomber.

The image of the aircraft emerged on Chinese social media in late May. Seemingly photographed at long range, the aircraft appeared to be parked next to a blast wall at an undisclosed location. The doors to the aircraft's internal weapons bay were open.

Beyond showing the side-by-side arrangement for the pilot and the copilot (or weapons system officer), the photograph provides additional details about the design of the three-engine aircraft, which has been tentatively designated as the ‘J-36' (based on a serial number previously seen on the prototype).

This includes the trapezoidal shape of the aircraft's dorsal engine intake and the presence of a Diverterless Supersonic Inlet (DSI) bump at this intake to control airflow into the engine. At the same time, the aircraft's engine intakes on the side of the airframe appear not to have DSIs. Instead, the caret-shaped inlets are similar to the splitter plate-type inlets of the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.

The side intake ducts are almost certainly serpentine as they lead to the engine to shield the engine compressor face from radar waves and reduce the aircraft's radar cross-section, Janes assesses.

The aircraft also appears to have a datalink antenna outside the caret-shaped engine inlet on the side.