Anybody has the latest pic of J15? I don't know what "improved J15" is this Indian website talking about. First posted by Ron Humble at CDF
(Source: China Military Online) 2015-01-23
Pictures of two carrier-borne J-15 fighters from mass production are disclosed.
BEIJING, January 23 (ChinaMil) – A photo about the latest modified carrier-borne J-15 fighter, which is redesigned based on Russia's Su-33 fighter, was recently reported by online media, according to an article published by the website of the India Air Force Research Centre on January 19, 2015.
It can be seen from the photo, which was released on the website of China's Xinhua News Agency and other websites, that a major improvement has been made for the J-15 fighter, namely its front landing gear has been modified to meet the requirement for its catapult-assisted take-off from an aircraft carrier, the Indian website said.
The picture initiated assumptions among observers paying attention to the Chinese Navy's development that whether the catapult-assisted take-off and barrier arrested recovery (CATOBAR) system will be adopted for China’s future aircraft carriers.
Sometimes, even a small engineering modification on weapon platforms may possibly reflect a country's big strategic ambition. The latest modification for China's J-15 fighter to use the CATOBAR system is just such a case, the Indian website hinted.
It seems that the landing gear downlock/uplock cylinder of J-15 fighter's latest model is thicker than that of its previous models. This kind of front landing gear seems to be especially designed for the aircraft carrier's catapult and arresting devices, the India website estimated.
At present, China's aircraft carrier "Liaoning", which uses the body of former Soviet Union's uncompleted aircraft carrier "Varyag", adopts the short take-off and barrier arrested recovery (STOBAR) system as well as the ski jump deck at the end of the short-distance runway on the aircraft carrier for its fighters' take-off and landing. All Russia's aircraft carriers and U.K.'s old-type aircraft carriers adopt the ski jump take-off method, the India website introduced.
According to sources, in 2009, the then Brazil's defense minister said in an interview that Brazil and China already reached an agreement to train Chinese naval personnel on Brazil’s aircraft carrier "St Paul". But it is noticed that the aircraft carrier "St Paul" belongs to the Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier which adopts the catapult-assisted take-off and barrier arrested recovery (CATOBAR) system, the India website recalled.
In addition, a satellite image in 2014 showed the ground facility for fighters' catapult-assisted take-off and barrier arrested recovery (CATOBAR) test in a place of China. Therefore, it is possible that equipping its aircraft carriers with catapult-assisted take-off and barrier arrested recovery (CATOBAR) system is China's thoughtful and long-term plan, the India website estimated.
To date, three methods can be adopted for aircraft's take-off from warships, namely the short-distance take-off and arresting cable assisted landing, catapult-assisted take-off/arresting cable recovery, and the vertical short-distance take-off and landing, the India website summarized.
There are limitations for the short-distance take-off and arresting cable assisted landing method, namely it can only be used for aircraft with a limited take-off weight and cannot be used for such larger aircraft as maritime surveillance plane, airborne early warning aircraft and transport plane, the India website analyzed.
If the steam ejection system is used, it can eject various kinds of aircraft including turbo propeller plane. An aircraft carrier with a capability for larger aircraft’s take-off and landing can enhance its attack and defense capability, greatly improving the aircraft carrier's effectiveness, the Indian website stressed.
Therefore, in consideration of the advantages of the aircraft carrier equipped with the catapult-assisted take-off/arresting cable recovery system, the Chinese Navy's adoption of such a system in its future aircraft carriers showcases its ambition and furthermore, its big strategy issue, the India website analyzed.
According to its current naval equipment procurement trend, China is possibly planning to imitate the concept of aircraft carrier battle group (CBG), and aircraft carriers equipped with the catapult-assisted take-off/arresting cable recovery system will allow the CBG to have stronger firepower and higher combat flexibility, the India website predicted.
According to its current official stance, China has no plan to establish any military base in other countries. Therefore, the only choice for longer-distance strength projection is to have a longer-distance navigating platform. As a result, China will probably build nuclear-powered aircraft carriers with nearly unlimited navigation capability, the India website concluded.
Editor:Yao Jianing
I added the link back to the PLA Site for this news. -Jeff