Is China's New J-31 Stealth Multi-Role Fighter A Copy Of The F-35?

A Chinese FC-31 stealth fighter has its test flight ahead of the 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, Nov 10, 2014. File photo: Xinhua

FOX News: Is China's new J-31 stealth multi-role fighter an F-35 rip-off?

China has a long history of copying and stealing designs used for U.S. F-35

Chinese media reports are now referencing new photos of the emerging J-31 5th-Gen stealth fighter appearing on social media, ostensibly showing various design improvements to the new radar-evading multi-role aircraft.

A May 5th report in the Global Times, an English-language Chinese newspaper, says the new photos show an … “upgraded version with modifications made to its aerodynamic design just like the prototype that made its maiden flight in 2016, instead of the original version that made its public debut at Airshow China in 2014.”

Improvements or changes to the J-31 likely continue a long-standing pattern of China’s alleged effort to copy, steal or mirror designs used for the U.S. F-35.

Virtually all photos and renderings of the J-31, since first unveiled, revealed a striking resemblance to the U.S. F-35. This does not come to the surprise of many in the U.S., given China’s well-known and documented cyberespionage efforts. A 2014 “U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission” Congressional report specifically cites a Defense Science Board finding that Chinese cyberattacks resulted in the theft of significant specs and technical details of a range of U.S. weapons systems—including the F-35.

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WNU Editor: It is going to take more than stealing the designs and schematics to build an F-35 copy. There are materials, avionics, software, engines, and numerous other items that just cannot be duplicated from stolen items and intel.