Oh well ... again a stupid typo!
I meant "... part of the improved J-15B (?) - serial variant of the J-15T - clearly ... "
J-15 carrier fighter thread
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
Oh well ... again a stupid typo!
I meant "... part of the improved J-15B (?) - serial variant of the J-15T - clearly ... "
I'm also confused lol.
So just to be sure, the improved J-15B = the J-15T, i.e. the CATOBAR variant of the J-15?
SinoSoldier
Colonel
The J-15B is to the J-15T what the J-XY is to the FC-31.
drunkmunky
Junior Member
so each carrier has a tanker variant?
I wonder if they can get J-15/16s to be able to carry external fuel tanks. That would be one great way to add operational flexibility for the Air Force and buddy to buddy refueling for air wing. I'd imagine J-15 with EFT would be the best way to refuel J-35s for the foreseeable future.
I think it's more like each carrier has a number of buddy refueling pods on the ship, which can be fitted to any J-15 to perform buddy refueling missions. my guess is that they do have one or more J-15 dedicated to the duty that just always keeps the pod attached
I remember a semi-credible (seems to be either affiliated with or working within AVIC, possibly specializing in UAVs) guy mentioned on zhihu that J-16 is capable of carrying external fuel tanks on the centerline.
However I would take this with a huge pinch of salt since he is at best semi-credible, has made rather unproven claims (not necessarily wrong, but ones that people have no proof of being right) and we currently have exactly zero evidence that J-16 has ever done so.
p.s. my logic is that if J-15 is capable of carrying buddy refuling pods on the centerline, then at least one of the centerline hardpoints must be connected to the fuel system, which means it at least has the potential of being converted to a fuel-tank-capable hardpoint. We'll just need to wait and see if PLAAF and PLANAF chooses to do so.