The brief

Analyst view

• One of China's two main fighter design houses; Chengdu (J-20, J-36) is the other.
• Its tailless J-50 prototype appeared in Dec 2024, days after Chengdu's J-36. China has not confirmed either.
• China's oldest aircraft maker (founded 1951 as Factory 112); also makes airliner parts for Western firms such as Boeing.

Technical approach

As reported

Carrier jets

Navy fighters as a speciality

Shenyang builds the J-15, China's carrier-based fighter. The mid-size J-50 is seen by analysts as a possible future carrier jet.

Stealth

Dropping the tail fins

The J-50 has no vertical fins. Fins reflect radar from the side, so removing them cuts the jet's radar signature from many angles.

Control

Steering without a tail

Without fins, the J-50 appears to steer with pivoting wingtips and thrust-vectoring nozzles that point the engine exhaust.