Is China ready for aircraft carrier No 4? Talk swirls over stealth fighter jets at PLA naval base
- Satellites spot FC-31 stealth fighters lined up next to J-15 carrier-based fighter jets at Liaoning naval airbase
- Joint appearance could indicate preparations for a fourth PLA aircraft carrier, say experts
China is known to be developing its third and largest carrier, the Type 003, with sea trials expected soon. Whether work has started on a Type 004 is not yet clear.
Satellites in March spotted two FC-31 Gyrfalcon stealth fighters lined up alongside several J-15 carrier-based fighter jets at the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) flight training facility in Liaoning province, offering a comparative view of the two models for the first time.
The two FC-31s – fifth-generation stealth aircraft – appeared to be slightly shorter than the J-15s, with their dark grey livery identifying them as stealth warplanes.
The joint appearance of the FC-31 and J-15s could also be a sign that China was making operational preparations for a fourth aircraft carrier, defence experts and sources said.
The PLA Naval Aviation Testing and Training Complex where the jets were photographed has been dubbed China’s own “Nitka” – after the Soviet-era training range in the Crimea that was the model for the Chinese base.
Satellite images showed the PLA naval pilot training site to be equipped with Soviet-designed ski-jump simulating ramps and catapult systems suited to the flat-top flight decks seen on American aircraft carriers.
Mainland social media buzzed with speculation over whether the FC-31 would be the carrier-based fighter jet for the Type 003.
But a source close to the navy said the J-15 would remain the sole active ship-borne fighter jet for the Type 003, as well as the Liaoning and Shandong.
“The FC-31 is still a test aircraft that is yet to be reserved by the PLA Air Force or Navy under their formal development programmes,” the source said.
Developed by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) over more than a decade, the FC-31 took off on its first test flight in 2012, two years before making its public debut at the 2014 biannual international air show in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.
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The J-15 Flying Shark, also developed by the SAC, is just a copycat version of the Russian Sukhoi-33 developed in the 1970s, according to Andrei Chang, editor-in-chief of the Canada-based Kanwa Asian Defence monthly.
“Even the FC-31 imitates the shape and design of the American F-35 [stealth fighter],” he said.
“Russian aircraft designer Mikhail Pogosyan, who designed the Su-33 and other new generation aircraft, told me that there is a rule that the performance of copycats would never surpass the original designs,” Chang added. “How can the SAC convince the PLA Navy to trust them?”
Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said flight safety was another key concern. “It’s too risky to fly new aircraft on a totally newly designed aircraft carrier.”