New images have surfaced of one of China’s next-generation fighter jets, a tailless, three-engine flying wing aircraft that Western analysts have identified as the J-36. Although the exact timing of the photos, which are taken from a video, remains unclear, they appeared on Chinese social media platforms on Monday. The images show the aircraft flying over a highway near the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group runway in Sichuan province, where the jet is believed to have been manufactured.

First spotted on Chinese social media late last year, the J-36 quickly drew attention from aircraft enthusiasts and military analysts. More images of the aircraft surfaced last month. The jet is speculated to be a sixth-generation fighter, featuring advanced stealth technology, cutting-edge avionics, and state-of-the-art airframe and engine designs.

Military aviation expert David Cenciotti, a former officer in the Italian Air Force, analyzed the video on his website The Aviationist, offering insights into the J-36’s design. He pointed out the unique tri-engine configuration, with two intakes under the wings and a dorsal intake behind the cockpit—an unconventional setup compared to the standard twin-engine designs of many contemporary fighters. This arrangement may provide advantages in thrust and redundancy, Cenciotti noted. He also mentioned that the aircraft’s belly space suggests it could house internal weapons bays, potentially enabling the J-36 to carry long-range strike missiles.

The J-36 could help China catch up to, or possibly surpass, the United States in the race to develop a sixth-generation fighter. The U.S. military currently boasts two top-tier fifth-generation fighters—the twin-engine F-22 and the single-engine F-35—but China is already fielding its own fifth-generation jets, the J-20 and J-35. However, neither of these Chinese models has proven combat effectiveness or experience comparable to the U.S. fighters.

In March, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Boeing had been awarded the contract for the U.S. Air Force’s sixth-generation fighter, the F-47, with prototypes reportedly flying for five years. However, the U.S. Air Force's announcement did not specify when the jets would be deployable, stating that the contract covered the “engineering and manufacturing development phase” and funding for a small number of test aircraft for evaluation.

While the J-36 dominated military aviation discussions this week, it is not the only sixth-generation fighter China appears to be developing. On the same day that J-36 images surfaced in December, photos of another new tailless, twin-engine jet, referred to as the J-XX or J-50, were also posted online. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has not publicly acknowledged the existence of either the J-36 or J-50, but the state-run Global Times quoted Chinese military experts in a report last month, noting that the aircraft, if authentic, indicate China’s rapid progress in developing sixth-generation fighters.

Wang Ya’nan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, was quoted as saying, “From a development perspective, China seems determined to explore next-generation aviation technology.” It typically takes years for a fighter jet to move from concept to public unveiling and eventual deployment. China’s J-35, for example, was first revealed at Airshow China in Zhuhai last November, though it had been in development for over a decade.