Two new Chinese fighter jets, capable of operating from aircraft carriers, were officially unveiled this week. This is another sign that China is trying to rival American sea power.
The J-15T and the J-15D, both variants of the J-15 family of carried-based fighter aircraft, made their debuts at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, a six-day airshow that officially began on Tuesday in Zhuhai, a city in the southern region of China.
They are among the new Chinese military aircraft that broke cover at the airshow, which included two stealth fighter jets assigned to the Chinese air force, the J-20S and the J-35A. All variants of the J-15 are operated by the naval aviation branch of the Chinese navy.
The main feature of the J-15T, an advanced version of the J-15, is it can launch from all three Chinese aircraft carriers, which come in two types. The first two "flattop" warships of China, CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong, use the ski jump style for launching aircraft.
CNS Fujian, the state-of-the-art but yet-to-be-commissioned Chinese aircraft carrier, uses catapult-assisted takeoff. This enables the Fujian to deploy with heavier and larger fixed-wing aircraft, allowing the J-15T to carry more fuel and munitions, China Daily reported.
Meanwhile, all 11 United States aircraft carriers are equipped with the catapult system for flight operations. The U.S. Navy has the world's largest "flattop" fleet, while the Chinese navy is the biggest in the world by hull count with more than 370 ships and submarines.
While the J-15T is a multi-role aircraft, comparable with the carrier-based F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in service with the U.S. Navy, the J-15D is specialized in electronic warfare, which will perform a role similar to the EA-18G Growler, a variant of the Super Hornet.
A Chinese military observer, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic, told Newsweek that the long-awaited J-15D brought the Chinese naval aviation unit tactical electronic warfare capability, including electronic disruption and suppression.
Although the J-15T undoubtedly is a major upgrade to the already outdated J-15, it and the J-15D share the same issue. Their airframes are still based on the Russian Su-27/33 fighter jet, whose basic design dates back to the 1980s, the observer explained to Newsweek.
Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military expert, described to Chinese state media outlet Global Times that the J-15D is a "significant addition" to aircraft carriers' combat capabilities, as electronic war capabilities are important in modern, information-driven naval warfare.
According to specialist outlet The War Zone, the J-15T has been seen in service with its original variant, the J-15, since late October, when the Liaoning and the Shandong took part in China's first dual aircraft carrier operation as they transited the South China Sea.
For the J-15D, the report said examples of it might also have appeared on the Shandong's flight deck, where at least two possible airframes of this aircraft were spotted by experts.
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