New images point to fifth prototype for China’s J-36 fighter jet in air power race with US

Footage suggesting rapid design upgrades comes just a month after China released first official clip of a sixth-generation fighter

Fresh images and footage have emerged of what some observers say may be a fifth prototype of China’s J-36 sixth-generation combat aircraft.

Andreas Rupprecht, an aviation analyst and expert on China’s air force, said the structural differences between the earliest and latest examples made it unlikely the sightings simply showed a single aircraft being repeatedly modified.

“It is still difficult to assess this with any certainty,” he said. “But if one takes the reports from reliable sources as a basis, there is indeed some strong evidence to support it.”