Footage Confirms China is Manufacturing New Batches of J-15 Flying Shark Carrier Based Air Superiority Fighters

Newly released images have confirmed that leading Chinese military aviation company Shenyang is manufacturing a new batch of J-15 Flying Shark carrier based heavyweight fighters - which are expected to incorporate a number of considerable improvements over previous batches. The J-15 entered service in 2012 onboard the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s training carrier Liaoning, and is today considered one of the world’s leading carrier based fighter classes despite the limitations of the ski jump launch system on existing Chinese carriers. The J-15 design has since continued to undergo rigorous additional testing to integrate next generation technologies for an improved combat capability.

Among the new features reportedly being incorporated onto J-15 fighters are radar cross section reducing profiles - possibly based on lessons learned from the Russian Su-35 which manages to reduce its radar cross section by over 70% relative to the original Flanker design - on which the J-15 is also based. The aircraft will benefit from new and more powerful variants of the WS-10 engine, which will both improve flight performance and allow for a greater takeoff weight despite the limitations of the launch systems of existing Chinese carriers. The fighter will reportedly also integrate an AESA radar and be compatible with a range of new munitions including PL-15 air to air missiles - which with a 200km range can outperform their counterparts in the U.S. Navy. AESA radars will drastically improve the Flying Shark’s situational awareness, while also reducing susceptibility to jamming and minimising the fighter’s radar signature.

China has already developed an AESA radar compatible with its Flanker derived fighters, which from 2013 has been integrated onto its J-16 fighters. a very similar radar - if not the same one - could potentially be integrated onto the Flying Shark. Enhanced new variants of the J-15 may be deployed by the carrier Shandong, deployed by training units on land, or even modified to deploy with an electromagnetic launch system for testing. The PLA Navy’s upcoming Type 002 Class carriers are set to use such launch systems.