J-35 carrier fighter (PLAN) thread

[kurutoga]

AVIC's official Weibo account strongly hinted that a FC-31 derivative will become a naval aircraft

By the Y-7 they are hinting KJ-600, however it can't be used on 002. So I assume this set of planes are being prepared for 003? To save you some clicks the rest of the lineup includes:

• J-10 (not going to happen)
• J-11 (already a naval version in J15)
• JH-7 (obsolete)
• H-6 (well, not impossible but it covers too much flight deck real estate)
• FC-31/J35
• L-15 the trainer, I remembered someone mentioned a naval version
• FTC2000, not sure this works
• KJ500
• Y-7

 

[kriss]

I'd say it means nothing. It's more likely than not whoever is in charge of this PR account has little knowledge or a good chance without a clearance no knowledge at all of future PLA procurement and instead just goofing around "promoting" anyhow as he please.

Half of these aircraft he list has literally no chance landing on a carrier. Also remember how this same account so strongly hinted and promoted THE NEXT before parade which turns out to be another new H-6?

 

[SinoSoldier]

By the Y-7 they are hinting KJ-600, however it can't be used on 002. So I assume this set of planes are being prepared for 003? To save you some clicks the rest of the lineup includes:

• J-10 (not going to happen)
• J-11 (already a naval version in J15)
• JH-7 (obsolete)
• H-6 (well, not impossible but it covers too much flight deck real estate)
• FC-31/J35
• L-15 the trainer, I remembered someone mentioned a naval version
• FTC2000, not sure this works
• KJ500
• Y-7

I'd say it means nothing. It's more likely than not whoever is in charge of this PR account has little knowledge or a good chance without a clearance no knowledge at all of future PLA procurement and instead just goofing around "promoting" anyhow as he please.

Half of these aircraft he list has literally no chance landing on a carrier. Also remember how this same account so strongly hinted and promoted THE NEXT before parade which turns out to be another new H-6?

These are naval aircraft, not necessarily carrier aircraft. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the FC-31 placard mention that it's a carrier borne fighter?

 

[kurutoga]

These are naval aircraft, not necessarily carrier aircraft. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the FC-31 placard mention that it's a carrier borne fighter?

Actually I did not like this weibo post because it was from the maker/designer of the jets but in the end it is the buyer (Navy) who pays. If they get official investment from the Navy already, there is no point doing this sort of marketing to boost confidence. All they need to do is to deliver the jet.

It all seems a bit strange as if they are afraid of losing attention.

 

[SinoSoldier]

Actually I did not like this weibo post because it was from the maker/designer of the jets but in the end it is the buyer (Navy) who pays. If they get official support from the Navy already, there is no point doing this sort of marketing to boost confidence. All they need to do is to deliver the jet.

I don't think it's marketing since it seems to be directed towards a Chinese public audience. And many big ticket firms do put out news if a contract with a major buyer is secured.

 

[TK3600]

Actually I did not like this weibo post because it was from the maker/designer of the jets but in the end it is the buyer (Navy) who pays. If they get official investment from the Navy already, there is no point doing this sort of marketing to boost confidence. All they need to do is to deliver the jet.

It all seems a bit strange as if they are afraid of losing attention.

Do state corp even need to market to the mass? They get paid exclusively by government.

 

[kurutoga]

I don't think it's marketing since it seems to be directed towards a Chinese public audience. And many big ticket firms do put out news if a contract with a major buyer is secured.

Really? I have never seen this sort of behavior before, we learned about J-20 after its initial flight, we learned about all the big ships after they appear in the dry dock. Anyway, in terms of J-XY, the best confidence boost is to deliver the first jet in time, and start its maiden flight successfully. Because ultimately it is Navy's project. Disclosure should be done by the Navy, not the design/manufacturer firms.

We are giving up J-15 upgrades too quickly. In the end, J-15 with updated radar (like J-16) and catapult capability is still viable, especially after all the pilots were trained and certified in the first batch of J-15. This is a much lower risk approach than abandoning J-15 entirely.

 

[SinoSoldier]

Really? I have never seen this sort of behavior before, we learned about J-20 after its initial flight, we learned about all the big ships after they appear in the dry dock. Anyway, in terms of J-XY, the best confidence boost is to deliver the first jet in time, and start its maiden flight successfully. Because ultimately it is Navy's project. Disclosure/marketing should be done by the Navy, not the maker/designer firm.

We are giving up J-15 upgrades too quickly. In the end, J-15 with updated radar (like J-16) and catapult capability is still viable, especially after all the pilots were trained and certified in the first batch of J-15. This is a much lower risk approach than abandoning J-15 entirely.

The J-20 was in many respects a landmark project for China, so it makes sense that it would be held to a higher standard of OPSEC compared to other projects. To give you some examples, the Sukhoi company and TASS made many news reports that China had indeed purchased the Su-35, and even within the RuAF itself it reported of contracts to supply it with the Su-57.

The J-15T (temporary name for catapult J-15) is likely a dead project or rather an one-off prototype to verify the design of the landing gear. There has been no reports of any subsequent flight tests of the aircraft, although we cannot rule out the appearance of a new "J-15B" in the coming years.

 

[kurutoga]

The J-15T (temporary name for catapult J-15) is likely a dead project or rather an one-off prototype to verify the design of the landing gear. There has been no reports of any subsequent flight tests of the aircraft, although we cannot rule out the appearance of a new "J-15B" in the coming years.

Well that may be true, my argument is if you think in PLAN's shoes, J-XY is not necessary an urgent need, but a nice-to-have. CV-17 is not going to be used to invade the US west coast. All the potential targets for China's carrier fleet can be handled well within the capabilities of J-15. So from the risk point of view, upgrade the J-15 is much lower and therefore more valuable than making all new J-XY immediately. I'd rather see them spend more time on J-XY, especially the engine.

Once the Navy makes an explicit announcement, or we see the actual J-XY plane, we will know better. For now we can speculate but nothing is firm.

 

[Intrepid]

All the potential targets for China's carrier fleet can be handled well within the capabilities of J-15.

But it looks like they are not planning with more J-15. There is exactly one airfield with 24 shelter for 24 aircraft. Nothing more. And that seems to be enough for two carriers at the moment.

They spend there time on the next step with a new kind of carriers and ... a new kind of fighters.