It's not like the space used to accommodate pilots would be wasted though, they can be used to carry extra EW or fuel. If you just want extra weapons sure, you can make them much smaller and cheaper, but if you want say a refueler that can supercruise with the J-36 then it's gonna be something that looks and probably costs very much like a J-36.
> You can make the aircraft much smaller and cheaper without pilots in there.
Ehhh. I think depending on what you want from said aircraft you won't actually get it much smaller, let alone cheaper. A high performance aerial weapons platform still needs the necessary space (and thus size) for fuel, weapons and sensors. And if you want a high performance unmanned aircraft, it won't be much cheaper than a manned counterpart. Because you still end up with the same manufacturing methods, materials and expensive subsystems.
By definition, you don't need to accommodate human living quarter when you make something Unmanned. The smaller the platform is, the more logical it is to go unmanned. For something like J-36 that's intended to be in the air for a long time with 2 pilots, you also have to consider that 1 pilot may need to do his business once in a while. Crew comfort becomes a real concern. So, I expect J-36 itself to have more space allocated for that purpose.
3 engine design isn't great from maintenance point of view. If they build an unmanned tanker, it would be better to do it from a 2 engine planform. That planform can be configured as subsonic bomber or tanker.
Another consideration against making it too large is just the ability to take off and land from Aircraft Carrier. My calculation is that you want to be able to refuel J-36 from 3000 km away from China. Or at least have that option.
Online pundits: we'll blockade the strait of Malacca and China is doomed!
J-36: LOL, LMAO even.
This range pretty much allows China to perform anti shipping duties across all of SEA.
It allows China to control all of Asia basically. If any country wants to blockade, you just bomb them.
In my opinion, the concept of a sixth-generation fighter applied to the J-36 positions the new aircraft as a sort of "strategic air superiority plane." It elevates what was once a tactical role to a strategic level. Let's be honest: 10 fully operational aircraft like the J-36 could potentially destroy an air force like Israel's or Japan's current one in just a few days, delivering devastating multi-domain attacks alongside hypersonic weapons. Even an entire U.S. CVBG (Carrier Strike Group) would be in serious trouble against such aircraft. Speed combined with stealth completely changes the game. Moreover, it's pointless to talk about dogfights with planes that cruise at Mach 2 at 20,000 meters—it's simply impossible to reach them.
Yes, it is now a strategic platform.
If they can get this into service by 2031/2032, it's going to be a huge balance of power change in Asia, since now you control all of Asia, not just the areas immediate to China.
