The successful takeoff and landing of the J-15 is of great significance to China’s naval buildup.  [boy you can say that again, since they don't have anything larger than destroyers which are poor copies of our stealthy Burke Class Aegis destroyers] Zhang considers it to be a clear sign of an increase in the fighting capacity of the aircraft carrier. [even if it takes 10 years to get an operational ship working based on playing with this one, that could cause problems] Well-operating carrier-based aircraft is an important symbol of the fighting capacity of an aircraft carrier,[let's hope it's just symbolic like their previous ballistic missile subs which were never effective as usable weapons systems] and the commissioning of the Liaoning will greatly increase the Chinese navy’s comprehensive fighting capacity, he said. [this combined with the latest destroyers and subs could well challenge the US Navy if they built several carriers, and even one or two could overwhelm any other Pacific Navy or challenge Russia]

Zhang said that the J-15 is China’s first generation of independently developed carrier-based aircraft.[actually it's a copy of the SU-33] According to U.S. and European standards, it is a third-generation fighter with strong sea-air combat capability and supersonic speeds. [Wikipedia says 3rd generation is like the F-4 Phantom which flew in 1958, but the SU-33 is more like the 4th generation F-14 Tomcat of Top Gun fame which first flew in 1970, so China is only 40 years behind in carrier aircraft] It can carry multiple types of long-range anti-ship and air-to-air missiles.

The J-15 has a range of about 3,000 kilometers without refueling, and thus has strong long-range combat capability.[well, the main thing is that it can haul as much stuff as far as the old Phantom which really revolutionized naval aviation, and the plane with canards and blended body/wing can probably maneuver like the old Tomcat as well and possibly outperform the awkward F-18 super bug which was never popular as a replacement for the big swing-wing bird]

The Liaoning has been mainly used for scientific tests and military training. After the successful takeoff and landing of the carrier-based aircraft, the navy will test other components of the carrier battle group. [which means operating with those fancy new Aegis-copy destroyers, though if they are as good as China's crappy domestic cars which also look like their western counterparts, the beauty and capability may only be skin deep] Scientific tests and military training on the aircraft carrier are mutually complementary and carried out synchronously.

[Now this is the hilarious part:] Zhang stressed that with an aircraft carrier, China will make greater contributions to world peace. The Liaoning will undertake humanitarian relief and other tasks in the future because carrier-based aircraft, especially helicopters, can transport relief supplies and medical staff when roads or ports are severely damaged. China’s aircraft carrier will be exceptionally useful in maintaining world peace and stability as well as fulfilling international humanitarian obligations. [When they build amphibious assault ships, then we can get really really worried]

The Shenyang J-15 (Chinese: 歼-15), also known as Flying Shark (Chinese:飞鲨), is a carrier-based fighter aircraft in development by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and the 601 Institute for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy‘s aircraft carriers. Rumors initially claimed the aircraft was to be a semi-stealth variant, yet later reports indicate the aircraft is based on the Russian-designed Sukhoi Su-33 and is fitted with domestically producedradars and weapons. An unfinished Su-33 prototype, the T-10K-3,^[3] was acquired from Ukraine sometime in 2001 and is said to have been studied extensively, with development on the J-15 beginning immediately afterward.^[1][3][4][5] While the J-15 appears to be structurally based on the Su-33, the indigenous fighter features Chinese technologies as well as avionics from the J-11B program.^[2]

Design and development

Russian military experts have downplayed any significant competition from the J-15 in the global arms market, with Col. Igor Korotchenko of the Defense Ministry stating in early June 2010, “The Chinese J-15 clone is unlikely to achieve the same performance characteristics of the Russian Su-33 carrier-based fighter, and I do not rule out the possibility that China could return to negotiations with Russia on the purchase of a substantial batch of Su-33s.”^[1] China has actively sought to purchase Su-33s from Russia on numerous occasions—an unsuccessful offer was made as late as March 2009^[6]—but negotiations collapsed in 2006 after it was discovered that China had developed a modified version^[7][8][9] of the Sukhoi Su-27SK designated the Shenyang J-11B,^[10][11][12] in violation of intellectual property agreements.^[1]

The first J-15 prototype is believed to have performed its maiden flight on August 31, 2009, powered by Russian-supplied AL-31 turbofan engines.^[2] Video and still images of the flight were released in July 2010, showing the same basic airframe design as the Su-33.^[13] In July 2011, it was reported FWS-10H turbofan engine was chosen for J-15 fighter, which has takeoff thrust increased to 12,800 kg, comparing FWS-10 turbofan’s 12,500 kg. Other improvements were also made to make it better suited to carrier-based fighter’s requirement.^[14] On May 6, 2010, the aircraft conducted its first takeoff from a simulated ski-jump.^[2]

The J-15 is reported to use different avionics and systems than the Su-33, and uses Chinese-developed technologies, and features various upgrades such as AESA radar, radar absorbent material, MAWS, IRST, composite, and new electronics.^[15] An article in theChina Signpost believes the J-15 “likely exceeds or matches the aerodynamic capabilities of virtually all fighter aircraft currently operated by regional militaries, with the exception of the U.S. F-22 Raptor”^[16], alleging that the J-15 likely possesses a 10% superior thrust to weight ratio and a 25% lower wing loading than the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet^{[16][better source needed]} However, one of the authors of that same article described the J-15 in another as no game changer.^[17] However, Hu Siyuan of the National Defense University PLA China has said that “the current weak point of the J-15 is its Russia-made Al-31 engines which are less powerful than that of the American F-35 fighter”.^[18]

A twin seat variant made its maiden flight on November 4, 2012. The general designer of J-15 is Mr. Sun Cong (孙聪).

Operational history

On 25 November 2012, Chinese media announced that two J-15s had made successful arrested landings on the aircraft carrierLiaoning.^[19][20][21] The first pilot to land on the Liaoning was named as Dai Mingmeng (戴明盟).^[22] PLA Daily newspaper indicated first five naval pilots including Dai conducted J-15 fighter landing and taking off. Test and training program officials confirmed the carrier-borne aircraft and special equipment for the landing flight had gone through strict tests, and fighter jets can be deployed on the carrier.^[23]

[edit]Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 22.28 m (73.083 ft)
• Wingspan: 15.00 m (50.42 ft)
• Height: 5.92 m (19.50 ft)
• Wing area: 62.04 m² (667.80 ft²)
• Empty weight: 17500 kg (40000 lb)
• Max. takeoff weight: 27000 kg (71000 lb)

Performance

• Maximum speed:Mach 2.4^[24]
• Range: 3500 km^[25] (2050 mi^[26])
• Service ceiling: 20000 m^[27] (70000 ft^[28])
• Rate of climb: 325 m/s^[29] (70000 ft/min^[30])

Now about those destroyers

these are the most worrisome aspect of their buildup that isn’t getting much press, compared to an anti-carrier missile that nobody has seen, missile armed catamarans with short range, and a carrier that is essentially experimental, and ballistic missile subs that aren’t any good in conventional conflicts:

from: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/eo20120912mr.html

The Chinese Navy is “acquiring the hardware it needs to prosecute a major regional naval showdown,” according to Andrew Erickson and Gabe Collins, two leading U.S. analysts of Chinese military developments.

The latest reports in the Chinese media say that the sixth destroyer in the Type 052C Luyang II-class has been launched and that the shipyard that builds them in Shanghai is laying down an average of two hulls per year….

The Global Times newspaper, controlled by the ruling Chinese Communist Party, reported …. mass production of the destroyer is “the highlight in the second wave of massive (naval) shipbuilding after 2000,” and that the six Type 052Cs were launched at very short intervals since the end of 2010, with at least one of them already commissioned this year.

“As the most sophisticated combat ships, Aegis destroyers are commonly referred to as air-defense destroyers equipped with phased array radars and modern ship-to-air missiles, which enable the ships to provide regional air defence shields for the entire fleet,” the newspaper reported.

The Type 052D is described by Japanese and U.S. specialists as a stealthy, 6,000-ton destroyer with 64 vertical launch canisters embedded in the hull to enable quick firing of anti-air, anti-ship, or land-attack missiles.

This makes the new Chinese warship somewhat smaller in size and firepower than the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers. But U.S. Naval War College professors Toshi Yoshihara and James Holmes, who wrote a book on the growth of China’s navy, “Red Star over the Pacific: China’s Rise and the Challenge to U.S. Maritime Strategy,” say that the latest Chinese destroyer still “packs a punch for localized conflicts in Asian waters.”