China’s J-20 vs. Russia’s Su-35: Who Wins This Fighter Jet Showdown?
Key Points and Summary
-In a head-to-head matchup, China’s fifth-generation J-20 “Mighty Dragon” holds the ultimate advantage over Russia’s 4.5-generation Su-35 “Flanker-E.”
-While the Su-35 is faster and a more agile dogfighter, its lack of stealth is a fatal flaw.
-The J-20’s radar-evading characteristics and long-range PL-15 missiles would allow it to strike from beyond visual range, likely destroying the Su-35 before the Russian pilot knew a threat existed.
-China’s numerical superiority in J-20s further solidifies its edge, despite the Su-35’s better ground-attack capabilities.
China’s J-20 versus Russia’s Su-35: Who Wins?
At the National Security Journal, readers are drawn to clear and insightful comparisons of leading fighter jets. In this head-to-head, we examine how the Russian Su-35 measures up against the Chinese J-20, focusing on which fighter is likely superior overall.
The first thing that jumps out is that the J-20 Mighty Dragon is a stealthy warbird. While it does not have the radar evasion capabilities of an American F-22 or F-35, it can still evade detection on most radar scopes. The Su-35 has no stealth features, but you get what you pay for. The Su-35 only costs $65 million, while the J-20 sets the Chinese back $110 million.
J-20 Fighters from China. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
J-20 Stealth Fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
How Fast Are These Airplanes?
The J-20 clocks in at a top speed of MACH 2.0, while the Su-35 hits a blistering MACH 2.25. This is one big advantage that the Russian warbird has over the Chinese stealth model. The Su-35 is also faster than the F-22, F-35, and F-16.
China Has the Superiority in Numbers
Russia has about 120 Su-35s, while China operates at least 200 to 400 J-20s. The Chinese defense industry is just more prolific than what the Russians can offer. Russia is being pinched by international sanctions due to the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, China can churn out numerous fighter jets at will.
The Su-35 features thrust vectoring, which aids in dogfights, while the J-20 would be difficult to identify and track due to its stealth capabilities. The J-20 can fly at supercruise without afterburners, which allows it to save on fuel. The J-20 is also better at beyond-visual-range engagements.
The Su-35 Could Win a Straight-Up Fly-Off
However, the Su-35 is a fourth-generation “+” fighter with tricks up its sleeve. The maneuverability is an advantage over the J-20.
The Su-35 has superior thrust, acceleration, and climbing ability. That’s for close-in fighting, but the J-20 may never get that close due to its preference for beyond-visual-range combat.
Both Airplanes Are Chock Full of Weapons
The J-20 features the PL-15, a long-range air-to-air missile, and the PL-10, a shorter-range missile. The PL-15 has radar-guided features. The PL-15 also has a top speed of over MACH 5 when it streaks to its target.
The PL-15 can engage larger in-air adversaries, such as tankers, in addition to command and control and early warning aircraft.
The Su-35 has 12 hardpoints for missiles and bombs. The total payload is 17,000 pounds. The Su-35 excels at ground strikes with the Kh-29 and Kh-59 air-to-surface missiles. There are also the Kh-31A anti-ship missiles and various guided bombs.
I would give the Su-35 the edge in ground strike warfare, which would benefit soldiers who require close air support and the ability to engage and sink ships.
Su-35 Fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Su-35 Fighter from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The J-20 is powered by twin WS-15 turbofan engines, which are indigenously produced. Chinese propulsion engineers and technicians have done a masterful job making the WS-15. This aircraft has excellent thrust and power, which gives pilots a thrill when flying various maneuvers.
The Engines Are Evenly Matched
The Su-35 has two Saturn AL-41F1S turbofan engines. These are quality powerplants, too. They have a good service life, and Russia believes these enable “super maneuverability” at +9G. I would say the airplanes are equal in terms of their engines.
The J-20 could be the “smarter” aircraft with a better use of artificial intelligence in the cockpit. China has outdone itself with this feature, which gives the Mighty Dragon significantly better situational awareness and survivability against the Su-35.
The J-20 also excels in multidimensional warfare, although the Su-35 possesses a valuable surface strike capability.
The big question in combat is which fighter would discover the other first. J-20 sensors and radar are significantly more advanced, and the stealthiness would give it a substantial advantage over the Su-35.
Thankfully, for the Russian aviators, there would probably never be a war between Russia and China as the countries are allies.
But what if both fighters were used in a paired mission? The J-20 could fly on day one of warfare and suppress enemy air defenses, while the Su-35 could attack on day two and day three. This would give the allied force a hefty one-two advantage.
Su-35. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
This kind of operation could indeed happen, as China bought 24 Su-35s in 2015.
That means China has likely conducted war games or other types of simulations involving the J-20 and Su-35 flying together. They would have a potential stealth and speed advantage with both fighters in combat. The J-20 could sneak close to enemy fighters, and the Su-35 could show off its surface strike capabilities.
However, in a head-to-head matchup, the J-20’s stealthiness wins out. The Su-35 could be struck with a missile beyond visual range and never know what hit it. The Su-35 is faster and more maneuverable, and this agility could win a dogfight, but what if the airplanes never get that close?
Having both the J-20 and Su-35 in the fleet is a big advantage for China as the People’s Republic would have an enviable force of stealth and conventional fighters with these two warbirds.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
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