China’s J-15 Aircraft Carrier Fighter: It Comes Straight From Ukraine

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Key Points: The J-15 Flying Shark, China’s carrier-based fighter, is the product of reverse-engineering an unfinished Ukrainian Su-33 prototype.

-Initially powered by Russian engines, China swapped in domestic WS-10Bs to boost speed and maneuverability.

-The J-15’s 2009 debut marked Beijing’s entry into carrier warfare, but the aircraft faced challenges, including weight issues and crashes. Today, the advanced J-15T variant operates on China’s modern Fujian aircraft carrier with upgraded avionics and catapult compatibility.

-While not yet equal to America’s F/A-18 or F-35C, the J-15 reflects China’s rapid naval modernization and growing power projection capabilities, posing a serious challenge to U.S. dominance in East Asia.

Here we go again. In a pattern that has become more noticeable every year, China has copied another fighter jet design and called it their own. The J-15 Flying Shark naval fighter is not really an indigenous creation. The Chinese reverse-engineered it from a Ukrainian Su-33 carrier-based fighter. 

This shows that Beijing will stop at nothing to bolster its military and will often play a round of dirty pool to get a leg up on the competition – in this case, the adversary is the United States, and the victim is Ukraine. 

The Department of Defense has yet another Chinese fighter to keep track of, which is becoming frustrating for American intelligence analysts who are watching the threat from the Middle Kingdom.

Su-33: When It Comes to China’s Aircraft Development, Anything Goes

China wanted the Su-33 for years. 

Russia was careful about transferring such a valuable jet to Beijing. China had previously counterfeited an older fighter, the Su-27, and Moscow was suspicious.

 So, China poked around the export market until it acquired a Ukrainian Su-33 unfinished prototype in the early 2000s. 

And then you know what happened next. The pesky Chinese aerospace workers went to work. They dismantled the airplane, looking for ways to copy components.

 Designers had a field day finding out what they could replicate and how they could reverse engineer that airplane. This became the J-15 Flying Shark that can take off and land on runways and carriers.

The Chinese designers got an idea. They could make the Flying Shark much faster and more maneuverable with their home-built engines. 

Out went the Russian-built power plants, and in went the Chinese WS-10Bs.

Put It on an Aircraft Carrier and Watch the Magic Happen

The J-15 was then ready to fly in 2009. Three years later, it was prepared for carrier operations. The J-15 made a ski-jump takeoff on China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, in 2012. Beijing was thrilled that its navy would enter the era of carrier warfare. 

By 2016, the J-15 was making long-range flights. Then, in 2017, the J-15 was ubiquitous. It made patrols all over the East and South China Seas, including the Yellow and Bohai Seas. 

Not all was rosy with the Flying Shark; it had some “teething” issues. 

There were at least three crashes. The airplane is also heavy, making it difficult to launch and recover from carriers, but the Chinese navy has adjusted its carrier tactics, and the J-15 can now easily fly off and land from carriers.

Now, There Is the Advanced J-15T Version

The J-15 has advanced so much that there is a J-15T variant. Beijing is excited about the future of this model. Two J-15Ts flew in an impressive display at the Zhuhai Air Show in November. The avionics and weapons systems have improved significantly. 

The J-15T is taking off and landing on the Fujian aircraft carrier, ready for combat. The Fujian has a conventional flight deck with electromagnetic catapults and arrestor cables. The J-15T is right at home.

“[Improvements] include a strengthened nose landing gear with a longer and wider shock-absorbing oleo strut and an accompanying catapult launch bar. Modifications will also have been made to the airframe to better cope with the stresses of catapult launch,” according to the War Zone.

While the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) likely has only 14 working J-15Ts, there are a few two-seat models for an added weapons officer. Plus, the PLAN has a naval reconnaissance version of the J-15T.

China Can Only Smile 

The development of the J-15 and the J-15T shows that China will need more to forge ahead with modernizing the PLAN. 

It is now a full-fledged carrier-equipped navy. I wouldn’t say the PLAN pilots are experts at carrier operations. 

They still are not as capable at night and in bad weather, but the aviators are learning fast. They push the envelope during training missions all over East Asia. Even though the naval pilots have no combat experience, they make up for it with the desire to improve with every flight.

The J-15 and its variants are not as good as an American F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets or F-35C Lightning IIs, but the Chinese aren’t giving up. They are working on a fourth carrier that will probably be nuclear-powered for operations outside the Indo-Pacific.

 This will mean additional J-15Ts and more accomplished and experienced pilots unafraid of matching up with the U.S. Navy. 

China can project power and build its national prestige with these carrier-borne aircraft. It’s another aspect of the Chinese military that has grown stronger over the last decade. The Flying Shark that was once built surreptitiously can now be called China’s own.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.