J-15 carrier fighter thread
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
Lol I legitimately couldnt see it until Gloire indicated it, the colour of it blended in with the port side missile.
Agreed, it is definitely three missiles.
Hi everyone, I’m new here and have a question I’ve been wondering about. Generally, we understand our carrier-based aircraft fleet as a 'high-low' mix: the J-35 stealth fighter focuses on air superiority, while the J-15T handles strike missions (multi-role). If that’s the case, shouldn't the J-15T follow the example of the J-16 or F/A-18F by using a twin-seat layout with a Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) to maximize combat effectiveness? Why is the J-15 series still primarily single-seat, with the twin-seat version used only as a trainer?
Chinese state media reports on J-15 pilot Pang Zhe who was martyred during flight operations. Supposedly he missed the chance to eject in a vain effort to save his plane.
You have to keep in mind that up until recently PLAAF was a relatively impoverished force. Valuing assets over people has some doctrinal inertia and probably won’t stop for some time.
This is a standard practice in political propaganda; usually, when a pilot loses his life due to an unsuccessful ejection, it is often portrayed as an act to save the aircraft. In reality, flight training covers the specific situations in which ejection is mandatory, and pilot is not required to try to save the aircraft at all costs. This is because even attempting to save the aircraft requires certain conditions to be met, so a pilot is not expected to make such pointless efforts.
However, political officials in charge of publicity rarely provide a complete account of the actual situation, due to both confidentiality concerns and political motives: it looks better to portray a pilot as having sacrificed his life to save the aircraft than to admit he died because of a mechanical failure.
Heroic pilot aside, did the incident involve a carrier? What was the "emergency"?
The official news tends to paint such stories in a romantic light and lots aren't published in the first place. But one should expect the not-so-rosy things in the PLA
The official news tends to paint such stories in a romantic light and lots aren't published in the first place. But one should expect the not-so-rosy things in the PLA
AL-31FN again, I guess