The J-15 Flying Shark is the Naval fighter jet developed to be used on the Chinese aircraft carrier. J-15 has folding wings, shortened tail and bulked-up landing gear to meet the requirements of landing and takeoff from an aircraft carrier. It is being produced at the Shenyang plant in northeast China.
Few weeks ago new pictures of the aircraft carrier also appeared on the Chinese internet blogs and forums.
Both aircraft carrier and the J-15 Flying Shark are likely to be operational by 2015. China purchased Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag which was still under construction when Soviet Union collapsed from Ukraine.
China has upgraded and refitted the unfinished carrier and once operational it will be named Shi Lang which is the name of the Chinese admiral who conquered the Taiwan in 1861.
J-15 is based on the Chinese experience of producing Su-27 versions under license. China is now producing advance version of the Su-27 under the name J-11B with locally developed avionics, radar, composite materials and weaponry.
J-15 has also benefited from the Su-33 design a lot and will be using ski-jump for launches from the Chinese aircraft carrier. China had bought a prototype of the Sukhoi Su-27K Flanker D (also known as Su-33) fighter jet from Ukraine to increase the pace of development of the J-15.
Sukhoi Su-33/J-15
Wing span: 14.70 m (48.23 ft)
Length: 21.90 m (71.85 ft)
Height: 5.90 m (19.33 ft)
Operating weight, empty: 17,700 kg (39,021 lb)
Max take-off weight: 32,000 kg (70,546 lb)
Max internal fuel: 9,400 kg (20,723 lb)
Max weapon load: 6,500 kg (14,330 lb)
Max level speed at sea level: 739 kts (1,370 km/h)
Range at low altitude: 739 n miles (1,370 km)
Engine: 2 x AL-31F turbofans or 2x WS-10A "Taihang" turbofans with Dry thrust: 89.17 kN and Thrust with afterburner: 129.4 kN
Accommodation: 1 (pilot)
Sensors: Track-while-scan pulse Doppler radar, IR scanner
Weapons: 1 × 30 mm gun,
Hardpoints: 10: 2 under fuselage, 2 under air ducts, 4 under wings, 2 on wingtips and provisions to carry combinations of:
Air to Air Missiles: PL-12, PL-9 and PL-8.
Anti-ship missiles: YJ-8K, YJ-82K and KD-88
Anti-radiation missiles: Yingji-91
Hardpoints: 10: 2 under fuselage, 2 under air ducts, 4 under wings, 2 on wingtips and provisions to carry combinations of:
Air to Air Missiles: PL-12, PL-9 and PL-8.
Anti-ship missiles: YJ-8K, YJ-82K and KD-88
Anti-radiation missiles: Yingji-91
The Chinese Shi Lang Aircraft carrier equipped with J15 Flying Shark Jet Fighter. Means that Korea, Japan, and Austrailia need to get the F35B STOVL stealth jet for their assault carrier ships. Or get out of the pool. Thailand needs a squad of Harriers for their carrier as well.
ReplyDelete