China’s ‘Flying Shark’ a ‘cousin’ of Russian warplanes, new CCTV documentary reveals

Name: China debuts potential Boeing-Airbus rival as its biggest air show kicks off
Uploaded: 2022-12-02T00:00:15.000Z
Duration: 1 min 12 s
Description: China debuts potential Boeing-Airbus rival as its biggest air show kicks off

The J-15, the PLA’s only carrier-based fighter jet, is descended from the Sukhoi Su-27 and shares traits with American aircraft, state broadcaster says

Military insider says the jet will remain the key combat plane for China’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian

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China’s J-15 features advanced flight control and radar systems, a pair of additional small front wings and other modifications allowing it to make emergency landings on the aircraft carrier deck. Photo: AP

Minnie Chan

Published: 8:00am, 2 Dec 2022

A new CCTV documentary shed light on the origins of the J-15 Flying Shark, China’s only carrier-based fighter jet in service, revealing the plane largely descends from a Soviet design.

The J-15, which debuted a decade ago, was derived from China’s J-11B fighter jet, a modified variant of the Soviet-designed Sukhoi Su-27, according to the state broadcaster.

The Flying Shark, the world’s heaviest ship-borne aircraft, is powered by two domestically developed WS-10C Taihang engines, according to earlier state media reports. The documentary, which aired on Tuesday, said the engine was intended to boost landing safety.

“The installation of the WS-10C engine in the J-15 means mass production of the ship-borne aircraft began a while ago,” a military insider said.

The insider said the J-15 would remain the key combat plane for China’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, as the J-15T variety of the jet was designed to work with the carrier’s cutting-edge electromagnetic catapult system.

The insider said Beijing invested heavily in setting up world-class production lines to speed up delivery of J-11B and J-15 fighter jets in the early 2010s.

The J-15 was upgraded with advanced flight control and radar systems, a pair of additional small front wings and other modifications, allowing it to make emergency landings on the carrier deck and enhance its balance and manoeuvrability, aircraft designers told CCTV.

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China debuts potential Boeing-Airbus rival as its biggest air show kicks off