Posted on 04/24/2011 7:40:40 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
New shipborne navy jet fighter makes waves among analysts
Unofficially dubbed the J-15, the new People's Liberation Army navy's "flying shark" features enlarged folding wings, twin nose wheels and an arresting hook for use on China's first aircraft carrier.
Photo: Courtesy of netizen Zhang Xinliang
By Xu Tianran
Photos of a domestic-made shipborne J-15 heavy fighter were released on Sunday afternoon on Internet defense forums, prompting many military observers to coo about China's aircraft carrier capacity.
"Heavy shipborne fighters will boost the aircraft carrier fleet's air defense capability and enhance the fleet's strike ability," said Lan Yun, editor of the Modern Ships, a Beijing-based magazine following the latest developments in warships and defense equipment.
"They can carry many air-to-air missiles or air-to-surface missiles and other kinds of airborne munitions," Lan told the Global Times. "And they have the benefit of long combat radius."
The fighters are to be stationed onboard the Chinese Varyag aircraft carrier, which is under renovation in Dalian, according to defense media. The giant ship has had radars and electronic warfare equipment installed, the Canada-based Kanwa Daily News reported.
on Sunday's photos of the fighter were taken outside the airfield of the No. 112 Factory of Shenyang Aircraft Industry Corporation, a company of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), and were uploaded onto the cjdby.net and fyjs.cn military forums after 1:30 pm on Sunday.
Videos and smaller photos showing the fighter flying over Shenyang had been circulating on the Internet since June. This time the fighter was seen with a standard naval paint scheme, according to photos released on Sunday.
The fighter has distinctive features that enable it to operate on an aircraft carrier, such as folding wings and strengthened landing gear, according to the Chinese Military Aviation (CMA).
Missile launch rails and wide-angle holographic Head Up Display (HUD) clearly indicated that the fighter is equipped with domestic sensors, avionics and weapon systems, the website reported, just like later models of the Shenyang J-11 fighter. The fighter dubbed J-15 is based on a Russian Su-33 in terms of structural configuration, it also said.
The Russian Ria Novosti news quoted a Russian military analyst saying that China's J-15 is inferior to the Russian aircraft.
Lan Yun refuted the claim. "The sensors, avionics and missiles of the Su-33 are already obsolete," Lan said, adding that the Chinese airborne electronics could offer more advanced technologies.
The first prototype J-15 was believed to have made its maiden flight on August 31, 2009, a month before the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, according to the Russian Ria Novosti news.
Lin Zuoming, AVIC general manager, published a poem in the China Aviation News newspaper one day later, celebrating the "breakthrough of scientific research." on Sunday's photos came at about the same time as foreign media quoted a Chinese blogger claiming a Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) shipborne fighter for the Varyag is conducting flight tests in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the US-based Defense News. The foreign reports were dismissed by an AVIC spokesman as pure speculation on April 18.
Actually the current government on the mainland brought down the previous dynasty with about the same efficiency they’ve taken America’s factories.
Not sure on what you’re basing your prediction.
The KMT might disagree with you. From across the Taiwan Strait.
Maybe they’ll only have 15 on their carrier. LOL
Our carrier based AWAC planes don’t look any bigger than that.
J15 “Interest on US Debt” was a bit long.
Brand spankin’ new ‘70s technology?
I dunno.
Not sure I understand the mocking. Not one bit. We are unilaterally disarming everything which made America great and powerful.
What’s worse - in the process we are creating the most truly powerful potential adversary our nation has ever faced.
Bar none.
That is why they have to copy everything. Now LOL LOL that is funny!”
They're smart enough to know that it's far cheaper and quicker to buy the information they want from their enemies who have corrupt politicians who will sell anything to get campaign funds. Then they can spend their time and money on advancements, perfections and tweaks to make an improved product.
That may very well be. Even on the new UK carriers, I think the total complement is 36 aircraft.
Rule #1. Don’t go into debt and borrow money from your adversaries to the point where your interest payments can fund their military by itself.
Yeah. No s***.
Amazing what is being allowing to happen.
Mind-boggling. Is nobody looking out for our country??
No. Not one elected official of either party is willing to even propose balancing the budget this year and every following.
Visit the math and engineering departments at any university near you...
Do Revell or Airfix have factories in China?
They haven't taken a single factory. Our companies are going there and building the newest, most efficient factories to ship stuff back here. Blame US for our own problems. Coke, GM, Ford, etc have built there what they won't build here and making plenty of money in the process.
Chinese for "target." It's gotta be.
I say this only semi-facetiously. It's one thing to have an aircraft carrier. It's another to operate it.
And it's a whole 'nuther thing entirely to keep it alive and afloat in a shooting war.
One of our subs would take this thing out in about five minutes.
Dedication by those who’ve immigrated to the States is indeed a testament to making smart choices, but that doesn’t mean they’re smarter. In my experience, there’s nothing unique about the Chinese student or engineer that promotes the idea they’re “smarter” than their “White” counterparts. Perhaps your experience was different.
And their boys and girls are learning Chinese AND English, while mastering math AND science, while our little boys and girls are training to be social workers and rap stars.
It wasn’t the current government on the mainland that brought down the last dynasty.
It was what is now the government of Taiwan that did that.
Yes they do actually
Varyag was the Russian name.
The thing is really a rebuild of the old Soviet ship.
I don’t think they have revealed the Chinese name yet.
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