China’s J-36 vs US F-47: 5 key differences between sixth-gen jets

- Sixth-gen fighter jets are basically flying data centers with afterburners, and the J-36 vs F-47 comparison is a delicious hardware puzzle. China's J-36 is the bigger, more visible airframe — tailless, tri-engine, diamond-winged, built for long-range payload and low radar return. The US F-47, contracted to Boeing in March 2025, leans into penetrating air dominance with a crewed core orchestrating autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft — drone wingmen that swap targeting data mid-mission. "Whoa, that's mega-illegal" energy if those autonomous kill-chains go live without oversight. The J-36 has already flown; the F-47 has hundreds of accumulated test hours but no confirmed engine. Neither