What You Need to Know: China has unveiled a mockup of its ambitious new 6th generation stealth aircraft, the "White Emperor" (Baidi), at the Zhuhai Airshow. Developed under the Nantianmen Project, this "integrated space-air fighter" aims to perform in both atmospheric and potential space operations, posing a hypothetical threat to U.S. satellites.

-The White Emperor’s design enhances stealth with a low-reflective cockpit and expanded internal weapons bays.

-While still in concept, this sixth-generation fighter, combined with China’s recent advancements in the J-35 and H-20 bomber programs, signals China’s intensified pursuit of air superiority, potentially spurring U.S. investments in the F-35, B-21, and NGAD programs.

China Shows White Emperor Sixth-Generation Space Fighter 

Puyi (7 February 1906 – 17 October 1967) was the last emperor of China, made at least somewhat famous to Western moviegoers in the 1988 Best Picture Oscar-winning film “The Last Emperor” (starring John Lone – who three years earlier had done a backup job as head villain Joey Tai in the crime drama “Year of the Dragon” starring Mickey Rourke – in the titular role).

Long and somewhat confusing story short, he actually had three separate reigns, though to be honest, his third stint as Emperor of Manchukuo, from 1934 to 1945, was basically as a figurehead and puppet of the Imperial Japanese occupiers. His status as a royal ended with the Soviet capture of Manchuria in 1945 followed by Chairman Mao’s 1949  Communist takeover of the entire mainland. After all, the mere concept of royalty is an anathema to ostensibly egalitarian Communists.   

Well, 75 years later, it turns out that the Chinese Communist government – more specifically, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) component of that government –at least in the symbolic semantic sense, as in a 5th Generation (some would actually go so far is to classify is as a 6th Generation) stealth jet fighter bearing the name “White Emperor (Baidi).”  

The Latest News: A New 6th Generation Fighter? 

The news comes to us from Kapil Kalal of Interesting Engineering (reshared via Yahoo! News on 12 November 2024), with additional reporting provided by The National Interest’s own Peter Suciu (the latter in an article titled “'White Emperor': China's 6th Generation 'NGAD' Fighter Has 'Arrived'”).

In essence, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) revealed a mockup of this “White Emperor” at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai. The state-run media officially characterizes the prospective plane as an “integrated space-air fighter,” conceived as having not only supersonic capabilities but even the ability to penetrate the boundaries of the Earth's atmosphere for space operations. (Reading between the lines here, I interpret that latter theoretical capability as the intent to kill American GPS and reconnaissance/surveillance satellites.)

Kalal goes on to cite an informational plaque placed next to the model, which:

“[I]ndicates that the most recent design has ‘increased the size of the internal weapons bay to hold heavier air-to-ground munitions’…It further states, “The Baidi Type B fighter has undergone a thorough avionics enhancement, improving cockpit design and streamlining maintenance processes, which significantly enhances its readiness for deployment and operational effectiveness.”

Regarding that cockpit design,  it appears constructed to diminish reflective signatures, reducing radar echoes and protecting the pilot from infrared and laser targeting systems.

Not surprisingly, actual numerical specifications are unavailable this time due to the static status of the model and the hush-hush secretive nature of the project.

The White Emperor/Baidi-B is being developed as a brainchild of the Nantianmen Project, a research and education initiative focused on future technology. Though the exact start date of the project’s design phase is unavailable, the U.S. first recognized Beijing’s development of 6th Generation fighters roughly two years ago.; as Gen. Mark D. Kelly, head of Air Combat Command (ACC), stated in September 2022, “China is enhancing its response to the U.S. Air Force Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.”

Big Picture Significance of this Chinese Fighter 

Granted, we’re talking about a mere mockup as opposed to an operational, flyable warbird. Nonetheless, this is quite the double-whammy propaganda coup for PLAAF when considered in tandem with the unveiling of the Shenyang J-35, AKA the FC-31 Gyrfalcon (“Gu ying”) 5th Generation fighter.

The White Emperor thus further ups the ante in the high-stakes game for stealth-driven air superiority in the Indo-Pacific region, with the White Emperor, J-35, and prospective Shenyang H-20 6th Generation stealth bomber serving as potential force multiplier augmentations to the PLAAF’s already-operational fleet of Chengdu J-20 Weilong (“Mighty Dragon;” NATO reporting name “Fagin”) stealth fighter fleet.

This, in turn, would presumably create a sense of urgency in the United States to build more of the 5th  Generation Lockheed Martin “Skunk Works” F-35 Lightning IIs for its own armed forces as well as its regional allies (Japan, South Korea, and Australia are all current foreign military sales [FMS] customers of the F-35 in the region), as well as impetus to sustain the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider 6th Generation bomber program…and who knows, might even breathe new life into the currently financially-beleaguered NGAD and U.S. Navy F/A-XX programs.

About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert

Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ). He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch , The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS).

Image Credit: Creative Commons.