J-15 Flying Shark aircraft on the Liaoning's deck.Global Times via Zhang Kai
Business Insider/SCMP: China is looking for a new carrier-based fighter jet to give its navy global reach
China is developing a new fighter jet for aircraft carriers to replace its J-15s after a series of mechanical failures and crashes, as it tries to build up a blue-water navy that can operate globally, military experts and sources said.
The J-15 was based on a prototype of the fourth-generation Russian Sukhoi Su-33 twin-engined air superiority fighter, a design that is more than 30 years old. It was developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, a unit of state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China.
With a maximum take-off weight of 33 tonnes, the aircraft is the heaviest active carrier-based fighter jet in the world, used on China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.
China needs to develop the new fighter jet as it plans to create at least four aircraft carrier groups to fulfill its global navy ambitions and defend its growing overseas interests, Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said.
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WNU Editor: The people I know who are closely examining and studying China's aviation industry are always telling me the same thing. The Chinese are behind in avionics and in the power of their jet engines. If this is true, it is going to take a while before the Chinese are able deploy aircraft carrier groups with formidible fighter jet support.
