Shenyang (AVIC) J-15 (Flying Shark)

History

China has taken all necessary means to become a recognized world powerboth economically and militarilyto the point of stealing data and unauthorized reverse engineering of captured or purchased technology. Once a long-term customer of the former Soviet Union (and thus access to various Soviet technologies of the time), the Chinese Communist regime broke away from its overseers in the 1960s and began to develop indigenous technology with the aim of creating a localized military industry with a steadily growing reputation.

At the time of writing (2012), the Shenyang "J-15" is a major program currently being tested to provide the nascent People's Liberation Army (PLAN) Navy with a homegrown multi-role carrier-based fighter solution to complement several ships Procurement, commissioning and future development of the Chinese Navy's indigenous aircraft carrier (the former Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag, privately acquired by Ukraine and most recently commissioned as Liaoning on September 25, 2012, becoming China's first aircraft carrier). The J-15 is expected to enter PLAN service sometime in 2016, pending flight test results and required system testing.

The core of the J-15 is a traditional fighter design based entirely on the Soviet-era Sukhoi Su-33 "Flanker-D" - a fighter and multi-role carrier variant of the successful Su-27 "Flanker" air defense system platform. The Chinese version is traditionally powered, although equipped with a '4. 5th Generation Fighter" - said to be capable of matching the US Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and the French Dassault Rafale (albeit insufficiently) with the 5th Generation Lockheed F-22 Raptor) .Due to its Su-33 origins, the J-15 follows the same refined lines as its Soviet/Russian counterparts, with twin vertical tails, swept wing angles and forward canards. As with the flanking series, the twin-engine configuration is driven by the fuselage The large rectangular air intake below sucks in. The cockpit design is very forward, providing excellent cockpit visibility, while advanced tracking and engagement radars are housed in the slender nose cone.

The landing gear remains a traditional trike design with Two main legs and a dual tire front leg - all fully retractable.

The J-15 was built from a Soviet Su-33 prototype (known as "T-10K-3") that China purchased from Ukraine in 2001. With the collapse of the Soviet Empire in 1991, Russian influence in Ukrainian affairs eroded, giving the Ukrainian state a lot of flexibility and autonomy as many existing military products became local property. As a result, the Chinese are now able to circumvent many of the bureaucracies that have traditionally protected secret Soviet technology that was largely out of the control of the non-aligned nations.

It is worth noting that during the Cold War, Ukraine was a major industrial center in Europe and Asia and played an important role in the design, development and production of Soviet military equipment. As Sino-Russian relations improved in the 1990s, the two countries reached an agreement in 1995 to locally produce Su-27SK flankers as Shenyang "J-11s".

This provides excellent manufacturing experience and performance data for modern Su-27 mounts. The J-11 began production in 1998 and entered service the same year, with 164 produced (2012). However, China continued to develop an unlicensed version of the J-11 as the "J-11B" without the express consent of Sukhoi and the Russians - again of course souring relations.

This also temporarily closed the door for China to directly purchase the Su-33.

Of course, Chinese engineers dissected the procured Su-33 prototype to extract as much technology as possible from the vehicle. This finally laid the foundation for the domestically produced J-15 project led by Shenyang Aircraft Company.

The key to the J-15's existence is the replacement of Soviet-Russian technology with derivatives designed and produced in China. This includes the avionics suite and engines (Shenyang Liming FWS-10H, the same as the unauthorized Chengdu J-10 fighter).

After selecting the airframe (appropriately modified for the rigors of an aircraft carrier) and engines, the J-15 prototype took off for the first time on August 31, 2009. On May 6, 2010, the J-15 was officially launched as the "Schanze" (Schanze ramps are a common design feature of the smaller Soviet/Russian/European conventionally powered aircraft carriers, much larger in size than their US nuclear powered brothers) .

This Chinese Su-33 derivative has several key components that match or exceed the Russian original design. The plane is said to be coated with a specially formulated radar-absorbing material that, while not directly making the J-15 a dedicated "stealth aircraft," does provide some basic defense against "tracking eyes" on the ground. The nose cone also houses a locally developed Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system, as well as a modern weapons suite consisting of guided and precision munitions as well as conventional bomb delivery (the observed wingtip orbital launchers will undoubtedly support air-to-air missiles) . As a multirole fighter, the J-15 is expected to support all types of missions, including air defense, ground attack, anti-ship and reconnaissance, although much of its early action is likely to revolve around air defense. Her structure is made of composite materials to reduce overall weight while maintaining the strength needed for agile maneuvering, while the cockpit is fully digital and features an operator with an ejection seat.

Like other Navy fighter mounts, the J-15 features folding wings, fishing line tail hooks, and reinforced landing gear.

Of course, early assessments of the J-15 by Chinese officials were high, comparing its capabilities to all modern fighter types. However, such claims have not been confirmed as the J-15 is still in flight testing and has not yet entered service.

In contrast, the competing Boeing F/A-18 series, launched in 1983 (and the Super Hornet in 1999), has since had a sizable share of combat, gradually updated to suit the changing battlefield. The Russians are closely watching the J-15's development to understand its potential - despite the skepticism of officials and the largely dismissal of the Chinese company as a "clone" of the Su-33.

All in all, the J-15 appears to be a significant upgrade over the earlier Soviet-era family of fighter jets that served with the PLAAF (People's Liberation Army Air Force). However, the J-15 will serve directly with the PLAN (Chinese Navy), providing a strong "range" for its growing carrier fleet aspirations.

With tensions already rising in the Asia-Pacific region, the arrival of the Su-33-inspired J-15 will only fuel the ongoing arms race in the region.

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