I know the idea of putting J-20 on a carrier had been discussed for many times. I'm still thinking if this is plausible. Speaking of this, we have to mention the classic old beefing between F14 and F15. These two are very comparable for performances and weight class. The only major difference is the variable wing. Apart from this, is there anything special about the F14 that makes it more suitable for carriers?
It is common sense that if J-20 or its variants want to go on deck, it has to have reinforced landing gears, tail hook, and reinforced body structure. Apart from this, is there anything that makes it not suitable for carriers?
I understand that J-15 is being unmasked and it is expected to go on deck pretty soon. But it is like putting F-4s onto deck in the 90s when you already have the much more advanced hornets available. I mean, both are around similar weight class, similar body size, and especially that both have canard wings. Why bother developing the J-15? I mean, J-20 is probably not that much more expensive than J-15, since it will probably produced in even larger numbers than J-15. Plus, J-15 itself is a really big and heavy fighter, which makes it pretty expensive to just even make. Adding on the factor of low production numbers, this will probably push it cost to at least 60-80 million plus (USD). If J-20 is produced in large numbers, it will probably not be too much higher than this. When the price is almost the same, why pick the old and backward one?
This is really interesting to think about.
