JL-15
Posted on 02/08/2011 11:27:00 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
China has two aircraft carriers (Shi Lang and "Carrier F") under construction, with one going to sea by next year. With the ship designs fixed, attention turns to the aircraft, both the types and their organization and operation. Current Chinese practice is to base seagoing aircraft (helicopters) at land facilities, sending them to serve on ships that are going to sea as needed. It appears that China will do the same thing, at least initially, with their carriers. This is different from American practice, where the carrier air wings are assigned permanently (except when the carriers are out of action for long periods of maintenance). Same with helicopters assigned to smaller surface ships. Chinese air wings will be more independent, and less similar in their organization. What aircraft are going to sea with the carriers is less certain. The main Chinese carrier fighter is a navalized version of the J-11 (an illegal clone of the Russian Su-27). China got one of the Russian navalized Su-27s (the Su-33) from Ukraine, and are stealing more technology to navalize their 30 ton J-11 as the J-11BH (formerly the J-15). These will not be ready before the Shi Lang puts to sea. Instead, it appears that navalized jet trainers will be used (the 9.8 ton JL-9, and possibly the more recent 9.5 ton JL-15).
(Excerpt) Read more at strategypage.com ...
JL-15
In Photoshop...
Fixed it.
ping
That JL-9 has a pretty long nose for carrier operations. Forward visibility at high angles of attack is going to be a problem. Expect a lot of landing accidents.
The choice may be soonest vs best. They are close on size/performance. The JL-9 is more developed and already has a radar. The JL-10 may have the better layout and the advantage of twin engines.
Looking at those ventral strakes, high AOA is not going to be possible.
Not only that, but the JL-9 appears to have a very thin wing which would seem to indicate a very high landing/stall speed. There don't appear to be significant leading edge slats & I can't tell anything at all about flaps.
Either aircraft is going to be "interim" anyway, so my money is on the JL-15.
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I was expecting a lot of accidents of all sorts before. Carrier ops ain't as easy as it looks.
It don't look easy.
Shusssss.
I am absolutely convinced that this is the perfect aircraft for carrier operations and I hope they build their full component first so they can start flight training all at one time.
< /Wink-wink, nudge-nudge. >
Wouldn’t you like to be working the “fishing trawler” following in their wake?
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