Opinion: Opinion | The '5-Piece' Set: China's Naval Air Power Is Growing Faster Than India Can Ignore
China is rapidly expanding its naval air power by producing a 'five-piece set' of carrier-based aircraft, including the J-35 stealth fighter. This industrial buildup, centered on the Fujian carrier, poses a significant strategic challenge to India's maritime security.
Why it matters
The rapid modernization of the Chinese navy alters the regional balance of power and necessitates a strategic response from neighboring nations.
In June 2026, imagery from China showed a carrier-configured J-35 jet bearing the serial number 350030. It confirms that at least 30 airframes of this new naval stealth fighter have left the defence manufacturer Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC)'s production lines. The news of the industrial architecture underpinning this capacity emerged in August 2023, when a company notice from SAC announced its ambitions to invest a whopping USD 1.2 billion in a new aeronautical complex, likely the size of six football fields - roughly 370,000 square metres - with its own flight-test runway.
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