With the confirmation of the first deployment of the year by the Liaoning aircraft carrier of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in the Pacific, it has become a focal point for various specialists. The presence of the capital ship, disclosed by the Ministries of Defense of Japan and Taiwan, is part of preparations for its return to service after completing a maintenance and upgrade process last year. However, beyond these facts, other factors are being analyzed and speculated upon. In particular, there are reports suggesting that the new J-15B carrier-based fighter is conducting takeoff and landing tests on the aircraft carrier during its latest voyage.
The J-15B is the new version of the Shenyang J-15 carrier-based fighter, which is part of the Air Groups of the Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers. The main difference lies in the fact that this new variant is designed to operate under the CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) configuration, unlike the STOBAR configuration used to date by Chinese carrier-based fighters. This change is due to the J-15B’s intended deployment from the new generation of Fujian-class aircraft carriers, which incorporate new electromagnetic catapult systems similar to the EMALS used by the U.S. Navy’s Gerald R. Ford class.
At the beginning of last February, through a video released by CCTV, the official government broadcaster of China reported on the J-15B’s takeoff and landing tests on land, on runways that simulated the layout and dimensions of an aircraft carrier’s deck.
Another relevant detail is the presence of models of various aircraft on the deck of the Liaoning during its port tests and the first voyages following its maintenance. Among these models were representations of the aforementioned fighter, as well as the future J-35 and the KJ-600, China’s new airborne early warning and control aircraft.
Additionally, in recent days, several Chinese state-affiliated media outlets reported on the presence of a new carrier-based aircraft on the Liaoning, undergoing various types of tests. In a report aired by CCTV, an officer from the Liaoning’s Embarked Air Wing mentioned the presence of a new aircraft, stating: “The warplane is very beautiful. It was a clear day, just like the day of the first flight of the J-15 [on the aircraft carrier],” as reported by The Global Times.
While the initial assumption suggested that it could be the stealth fighter J-35, which is currently in the development and flight testing phase, evidence points to it being the new J-15B carrier-based aircraft, according to a series of images that have gone viral on social media.
This news about this development coincides with the official announcement by Chinese state-affiliated media regarding the first launch tests with payloads conducted by the electromagnetic catapults of the Fujian aircraft carrier, which is also undergoing its fourth test voyage.
The confirmation that the J-15B is conducting takeoff and landing tests on the Liaoning opens the door to speculation about similar future evaluations on the Fujian. In fact, while the latter was at sea, containers and aircraft models were observed on its flight deck.
*Cover image used for illustration purposes.
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