J-15 Flying Shark

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See also: Liaoning (ex-Varyag, 辽宁)

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J-15 Flying Shark

https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/j-11.htm

J-15 is reported to be the first generation of Chinese shipborne fighter aircraft being developed by both 601 Institute and SAC for PLAN's first aircraft carrier. Initially rumors claimed that J-15 was a new semi-stealth design, but this design turned out to be a follow-on design which is in the early development stage at SAC. The J-15 aircraft is now believed to be based on Russian Su-33 structural configuration and flight control system as well as domestic J-11B radar and weapon systems. One Su-33 prototype (T-10K-3) was acquired from Ukraine around 2001 and has been studied extensively.

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Photo from: http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/the-real-reason-the-world-needs-pay-attention-chinas-growing-20406

[adroth]

J-15 fighter jets from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier make South China Sea debut
Liaoning and its escorts have been carrying out high-profile exercises in seas around China since December
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 03 January, 2017, 3:03pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 27 April, 2017, 6:01pm
Liu Zhen
zhen.liu@scmp.com

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2058888/j-15-fighter-jets-chinas-liaoning-aircraft-carrier-make

The J-15 “Flying Shark”, stationed on board the Liaoning, China’s sole aircraft carrier, since 2013, practised operations as the vessel sailed in heavy seas, Xinhua reported.

The Liaoning and its escorts have been carrying out a series of exercises since December, including a live ammunition drill in the Bohai Sea and a patrol in the Western Pacific that took it close to Japan’s Okinawa and Taiwan. The fleet made a brief stop in Hainan before entering the South China Sea.

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[adroth]

J-15 @ Liaoning


https://youtu.be/c3WRirPzY7U

CNTV - J-15 Naval Fighters Aircraft Carrier Testing [1080p]

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China’s J-15 fighter jet lands safely after hitting bird
By Guo Yuandan Source:Global Times Published: 2017/8/17 23:23:39
 
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1061935.shtml

A navy pilot flying China's J-15 fighter jet successfully landed his plane after catching fire after being struck by a bird, China Central Television (CCTV) reported Wednesday.

Yuan Wei, a People's Liberation Army navy pilot, coordinated with air traffic controllers to safely land his J-15 after its left engine caught fire, CCTV reported. The fire was sparked by a clash with a flock of birds less than a minute after the plane took off. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire.

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[adroth]

From: https://www.popsci.com/he-next-generation-chinas-carrier-borne-fighter-flying-shark-takes-to-skies

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The J-15 is derived from the Russian Su-33 (itself developed from the Su-27 fighter), and is currently in limited production by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. It is used by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) on its sole aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.

The J-15A prototype, compared to the older J-15, has a list of improvements that include domestic WS-10 engines (seen with silver-colored afterburning nozzles), and a reinforced nosewheel to handle the acceleration from being attached to an aircraft catapult.

In September 2016, images of an upgraded J-15, the "J-15A", emerged on the Internet, showing significant upgrades to its engines and flight performance. The plane makes use of domestically produced WS-10H turbofan engines, distinguished by a squarish, silver afterburner nozzle. While some J-15 prototypes were fitted with WS-10 turbofan engines, all production J-15s presently operating off the Liaoning aircraft carrier use the Russian AL-31 turbofan (which has a dark-colored afterburner nozzle). If future J-15As use the WS-10H as a power plant, it would indicate a triumph for China's emerging aviation engine industry, which has long been a weakness. Another likely upgrade is the installation of an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which has improved resolution, multi-target ability, and resistance to jamming.

Here, we can get a closer look at the J-15A's strengthened landing gear, especially the extender on the nosewheel, which is several times thicker compared to the piece on the older, ski ramp-launched J-15s.

However, perhaps the most significant evident upgrade is the reinforced landing gear on theJ-15A's nosewheel, with the extender in particular much larger. Strengthening the nosewheel is necessary for the plane to operate on carriers with catapults; the catapult's aircraft launch bar pulls the J-15 by its nosewheel when the carrier catapult accelerates the fighter during takeoff. Also, the holdback bar needs to be attached to the rear of the nosewheel prior to catapult launch, in order to prevent premature movement.

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J-15		J-15A

[sbhntr]

The way the movements are coordinated, the signals, the jerseys, the cranials, the final checkers actions, even the way the shooters kneel, it’s an exact copy of an American carrier! The bottom two pics with time stamp 2:14 and 2:17 are very interesting. The ship seems to be moving relatively slow and the wind not strong enough to create waves. Those birds must be very light…..

[adroth]

The way the movements are coordinated, the signals, the jerseys, the cranials, the final checkers actions, even the way the shooters kneel, it’s an exact copy of an American carrier! The bottom two pics with time stamp 2:14 and 2:17 are very interesting. The ship seems to be moving relatively slow and the wind not strong enough to create waves. Those birds must be very light…..

IIRC, the Chinese were trained by the Brazilians. Did the Brazilians learn from the US or the UK?

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No match for a U.S. Hornet: “China’s Navy J-15 more a flopping fish than a flying shark” Chinese media say
Sep 30 2013 - 49 Comments

By David Cenciotti

Even if some analysts compared it to the F/A-18 Hornet, the Shenyang J-15 “Flying Shark” may not be the powerful and deadly threat to the U.S. Navy Air Power in the Pacific.

Indeed, in spite of the recent claims that it had succesfully achieved full-load take off and landing on the Liaoning aircraft carrier, the China’s embarked plane may not be able to operate from Beijing’s first supercarrier.

According to the Sina Military Network, that has (weirdly) criticized the Flying Shark calling it a “flopping fish”, the recent tests with heavy weapons have limited the attack range of the J-15 to a distance of 120 kilometers from the carrier: whilst it is said to be capable to carry 12 tons of weapons, when the aircraft is fully loaded with fuel, it can’t carry more than 2 tons of missiles and munitions, meaning that only two YJ-83K anti-ship missiles and two PL-8 air-to-air missiles could be carried (in an anti-ship configuration).

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Read more at https://theaviationist.com/2013/09/30/j-15-critics/#9cqcZxpHRTzVt2rY.99

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Fresh batch of Chinese J-15 pilots to bolster aircraft carrier’s fighting force
Newest graduates are from same class as Zhang Chao, who died in a J-15 training exercise in April
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 23 August, 2016, 5:21pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 27 April, 2017, 6:04pm
Minnie Chan
minnie.chan@scmp.com

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2007910/fresh-batch-chinese-j-15-pilots-bolster-aircraft

After three years of intensive training, the biggest class of J-15 fighter jet pilots graduated earlier this month, the PLA Daily reported in a front-page article yesterday. The report showed 16 pilots receiving certificates from Rear Admiral Ding Yi, deputy commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, on the deck of the carrier, the Liaoning.
Each of the graduates had practised group take-offs and landings on the carrier, demonstrating a “collective fighting capability”, the report said.

Military observers said the report suggested the navy now had at least 40 carrier-based fighter jet pilots, with more than two dozen trained in the first five batches.
Fatal crash of Chinese J-15 carrier jet puts question mark over troubled programme

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The PLA Daily report said this month’s graduates were classmates of Zhang Chao, a 29-year-old PLA pilot who died when his ­J-15 fighter jet crashed during a landing exercise in April. The navy suspended all J-15 training flights for nearly two months after Zhang’s death, which state media reported after the training resumed last month.
A source close to the navy said the hanger of a 001A could hold at least 20 jets – more than the Liaoning – after removing its missile system.

Macau-based military observer Antony Wong Dong said there were still many key technical problems in the development of the J-15, the main carrier jet.
Wong said the official pictures did not show any new J-15s on the Liaoning, suggesting problems in the aircraft’s production.

According to Wong, military insiders said pilot training had revealed faults in the J-15’s flight system and ejection seats.

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[sbhntr]

The way the movements are coordinated, the signals, the jerseys, the cranials, the final checkers actions, even the way the shooters kneel, it’s an exact copy of an American carrier! The bottom two pics with time stamp 2:14 and 2:17 are very interesting. The ship seems to be moving relatively slow and the wind not strong enough to create waves. Those birds must be very light…..

IIRC, the Chinese were trained by the Brazilians. Did the Brazilians learn from the US or the UK?

I think they started training with the Brazilians around 09 which at the time was operating A-4s. the brazilians’ initial training on the skyhawks was partly with the USN. PLAN pilot training was also done with the argentinians which regularly do “touch and go” on us navy carriers

IIRC it was on board either the Reagan or Stennis in 2006(?) where the PLAN was allowed to “visit”. There were at least five teams video taping everything from flight deck ops, hangar bay maintenance, cats and trap spaces, etc, etc. each team had at least two officers, one cameraman and one interpreter.  PLAN seemed to have adopted instead of develop, their own system. Did a quick search on the web and could not find any links with this story. Anyway, we found it strange that the chinese navy was given so much access, thus speculation was that the approval came from the very top.

[Ayoshi]

Images show J-15 fighter fitted with wingtip EW pods | Janes - 03 May 2018

Photographs recently published in online forums show a two-seat Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) J-15 multirole fighter aircraft equipped with what appear to be wingtip electronic warfare (EW) pods, suggesting that an electronic attack (EA) variant of the aircraft may be at a late stage of development for China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF).

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The recently released images suggest that the latest variant of the two-seat J-15, which has been referred to as the J-15D, may be being developed for the EA role. This has drawn comparisons of the aircraft with the US Navy’s Boeing EA-18G Growler, which can carry the wingtip AN/ALQ-218 Tactical Jamming Receiver (TJR) pods, up to three AN/ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System (TJS) pods, and AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARMs).

Images have emerged in Chinese online forums showing a two-seat SAC J-15 fighter aircraft equipped with wingtip EW pods. Source: Via CJDBY.net

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Don’t Underestimate China’s Flying Shark
The evolution of the J-15 Into a world leading carrier-based fighter and its implications.

By Abraham Ait
November 17, 2018
     
https://thediplomat.com/2018/11/dont-underestimate-chinas-flying-shark/?fbclid=IwAR0q6Cx98HXnAFu0tWNmu-t9UgqT1fP8MCCSCZVh0h_7GCgNg1yYCmC1dgk
 
Since their entry into service in 2012 onboard China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, the J-15 Flying Shark twin engine air superiority fighter has been frequently criticized for its highly limited capabilities. The fighter’s heavy weight combined with the lack of either steam or electromagnetic catapult systems (EMALS) onboard the Liaoning meant that the J-15 was seriously restricted in its fuel carriage and weapons payload — resulting in a missile arsenal a fraction the size of those deployed by U.S. Navy’s jets and a negligible combat radius around the carrier. The aircraft’s lack of advanced radar evading capabilities, at a time when the U.S. and British navies were preparing to induct their first carrier based stealth fighters — the F-35B and C variants — gave further grounds to criticize the J-15’s potential. Perhaps most significantly, however, the three accidents involving J-15 fighters in their first half decade of service were cited by many analysts as proof that China was far from capable of becoming a major carrier power for the foreseeable future — at least not until the Flying Shark could be replaced by a lighter and more reliable fighter.

Despite the considerable criticism the Flying Shark has weathered and the underwhelming capabilities of the jets currently in service onboard the Liaoning, a deeper analysis of the airframe’s full potential — particularly when deployed from more modern carriers currently under construction — indicates that the Chinese jet could well emerge as one of the world’s foremost carrier-based fighters in the near future.

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The J-15’s airframe, like that of the Su-33, has extremely high potential when operating from a more suitable carrier. It is important to take into account the Liaoning’s nature primarily as a training carrier, and as a result the role of J-15 fighters currently in service is to provide the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) with its first experience operating carrier-based combat jets. Future warships such as the Type 003 however, currently under construction, will have far larger decks capable of launching multiple aircraft simultaneously and, most critically, will field electromagnetic catapult systems allowing the J-15 to launch will a full fuel tank and missile payload. Flying Sharks have been observed by satellite for a number of years already testing land-based runways simulating carrier conditions with EMALS, a force multiplier for the fighter’s capabilities. This could very likely make the J-15 the most heavily armed and longest ranged carrier-based fighter in the world — with an operational altitude approximately 4 kilometers higher than the U.S. Navy’s far lighter F-18E and F-35 carrier-based jets and a significantly higher speed and longer range.

While the J-15 has been criticized as being too heavy to operate from carrier decks, on larger carriers equipped with EMALS systems this will not be an issue. Indeed, the F-14 Tomcat operated by the U.S. Navy was considerably heavier despite relying on a less powerful steam catapult system — and was still considered one of the most successful carrier-based fighters ever developed. Furthermore, with the Tomcat retired in the aftermath of the USSR’s collapse (largely due to its massive operational costs and maintenance requirements), the U.S. Navy lacks an air superiority fighter of its own — seriously undermining the service’s ability to engage a near peer carrier strike group at sea with their own air superiority jets.

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Regarding claims that the J-15 is unreliable due to the number of accidents it has suffered, it is important to recognize both that China has no experience whatsoever operating carrier-based fighters — making some accidents inevitable — and that carrier-based fighters fielded by other states have had accidents as frequently if not more so in their first years in service. One key example is the F-14, which saw a phenomenal number of losses to crashes, approaching 40 jets in its first half decade of service alone. Of the 712 carrier-based Tomcats produced, over 160 were lost to accidents, and 28 percent of all accidents were attributed to issues with the engine. Judged by the standards of China’s J-15, the F-14 would be considered a failure many times over, but it went on to become one of the most successful jets of the Cold War and a key component in ensuring undisputed American blue water primacy until the Soviet Union’s collapse. The J-15’s potential thus cannot be dismissed as a result of its safety record, which all things considered is rather low.

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[Ayoshi]

J-15D has reportedly begun operational testing for PLANAF | Janes - 21 December 2018

The aircraft, which has been designated the J-15D, has previously been described as an electronic attack platform that would mirror the function of the US Navy's Boeing EA-18G Growler. It has been seen flying with what appears to be variants of the same CETC KG600 electronic warfare (EW) wingtip pods that are fitted to the two-seat Shenyang J-16D aircraft that are optimised for suppression of enemy air-defence (SEAD) missions.

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China Paid a Big Price For Stealing a Russian Fighter Jet Design
Beijing is paying the price.

by Michael Peck
January 9, 2020
 
Key Point: Russia loves pointing out the flaws in the Chinese J-15, which is a knock-off of their Su-33

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/china-paid-big-price-stealing-russian-fighter-jet-design-112351

Remember that Russian carrier-based jet that China copied without permission? Those airplanes are crashing, and Russia doesn't seem too broken up about it.

Though Russia and China are now friends, even holding joint exercises, Russia's Sputnik News recently trotted out an article titled "Chinese Navy Short on Carrier-Based Fighters, Only Has Problem-Ridden J-15."

The J-15 is an unlicensed copy of Russia's Su-33 carrier jet, which is a 1980s derivative of the Su-27K land-based fighter. China had acquired a T-10K-3, an Su-33 prototype, from Ukraine and then reverse-engineered it.
 
With a barely disguised touch of schadenfreude, Sputnik News delved into the woes of the J-15. "Love for the fourth-generation J-15 jet is seldom shown in Chinese circles," said the Russian news site. "The Asia Times noted that Chinese media has disparaged the plane in numerous ways, including referring to it as a 'flopping fish' for its inability to operate effectively from the Chinese carriers, which launch fixed-wing aircraft under their own power from an inclined ramp on the bow of the ship. The J-15's engines and heavy weight severely limit its ability to operate effectively: at 17.5 tons empty weight, it tops the scales for carrier-based fighters. The US Navy's F-18 workhorse, by comparison, is only 14.5 tons."

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