Recently, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officially revealed the first joint exercise of dual aircraft carriers. In this exercise, along with the aircraft carriers “Shandong” and “Liaoning,” there were also 11 warships, including three Type 055 destroyers, four Type 052D destroyers, one Type 054A frigate, and two Type 901 fast combat support ships. The exercise also showcased brand new carrier-based aircraft: the J-15B and J-15D.
The J-15B is a catapult-type carrier-based aircraft, while the J-15D is an electronic warfare aircraft. Looking at the image, it shows multiple J-15 aircraft flying in formation. The main difference between the J-15A and J-15B is the color of the radome, with the J-15A using a light gray radome and the J-15B using a dark gray radome. From the picture, we can see that this flight formation includes nine J-15Bs and two J-15As. Additionally, on the deck of the “Shandong,” besides the 12 J-15 fighters, two new J-15Ds also appeared.
It is noteworthy that the CCP’s carrier-based fighter jets mainly derive from the Soviet Su-33 series, which look similar in appearance, with the color of the radome being a key distinction between CCP fighter jet models. In the past, China did not have advanced radome coating technology, and the color of the radar cone was mainly determined by the color of the rain erosion coating. This is why early models like the J-7 and J-8 had green radar cones, an important reason.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the CCP started developing a black graphite conductive antistatic coating. This led to the adoption of black radomes on the J-11B, J-10A, and J-20 fighter jets.
Entering the 21st century, the CCP developed a second-generation flexible antistatic coating with a gray color. Therefore, in later models such as the J-20, J-16, and J-10C, the radomes are colored in dark gray.
This also applies to the radome coating used in the J-15A fighter jets. However, the dark gray color is more easily detected visually, especially by the U.S. F-35 equipped with new EOTS and EODES systems, capable of passive detection of CCP fighter jets from hundreds of kilometers away. Thus, to enhance visual stealth capability, the new J-16 fighter jet features a new paint scheme, changing the color of the radome to light gray. This light gray radome is also installed on the JF-17 fighter jets developed in cooperation with Pakistan. The carrier-based aircraft J-15B also uses this light gray radome coating.
On various CCP fighter jets, the radome colors generally fall into several categories: early models like J-7 and J-8 may use green or white, while earlier models like J-11 and J-10 employed black, which later transitioned to dark gray, and the newest models generally use light gray.
Turning back to the CCP’s recent dual carrier exercise, it is clear that the CCP Navy has equipped a significant number of J-15B fighter jets. Compared to previous versions, the J-15B fighter jet boasts improved performance.
It is important to note that the CCP’s J-15 carrier-based aircraft is based on the Soviet-era Su-33 carrier-based aircraft. However, at that time, the CCP faced two main challenges: the Soviet Union was unwilling to provide technical support, and the relationship between the CCP and Russia was not as amicable as many thought. In fact, both sides looked down on each other and were wary of each other. For instance, when the CCP imported Russia’s Su-27 fighter jets to produce its own J-11 under a contract for 200 aircraft, only 95 were produced before the CCP terminated the contract after gaining the technology. Therefore, Russia was very cautious about exporting advanced technology to the CCP.
The CCP’s carrier and carrier-based aircraft technology actually originated from Ukraine, not Russia. Ukraine was the Soviet Union’s most important aircraft carrier construction and carrier-based aircraft experimentation base during the Cold War. Most of the Soviet Union’s key aircraft carriers were built at shipyards in Ukraine’s Black Sea. After the Soviet Union dissolved, Ukraine not only retained the aircraft carrier “Varyag” left over from the Soviet era but also possessed the prototype T10 of the Su-33 carrier-based aircraft. The CCP then spent a large sum to purchase and refit the “Varyag” into its first domestically produced carrier, the “Liaoning,” and somehow acquired the Su-33 carrier-based aircraft prototype T10 for reverse engineering.
Of course, the CCP also faced a second challenge: the technical knowledge of the Su-33 was in Russia’s hands, while the CCP’s acquisition, the T10 from Ukraine, was only a prototype of the Su-33 and fell short of the final, mass-produced Su-33 in Russia. Therefore, the CCP had to overcome some lingering technical challenges. The CCP relied on Ukrainian experts and technical drawings to overcome this challenge.
As a result, what we see in the J-15A is the culmination of the CCP Navy’s progression from nothing to carrier-based aircraft. However, since it is the first carrier-based aircraft, many of its technologies are early-stage, such as the flight control technology being from the Su-27 era, and the radar still using mechanical scanning Doppler radar from the Soviet era. Notably, the J-15A first flew in 2009, which was 15 years ago.
Therefore, building on the J-15, the CCP developed the J-15B, which will be the future mainstay of the CCP Navy’s carrier-based aircraft.
Firstly, it is the catapult-compatible version. Before the J-15 entered service, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation developed an experimental version referred to externally as the J-15T, where the ‘T’ denotes the catapult version. The J-15T prototype first flew in July 2016. While the “Shandong” and “Liaoning” currently use ski-jump takeoff, the “Fujian” will employ electromagnetic catapults. With electromagnetic catapults, high demand is placed on the strength of landing gear and other devices due to the need to rapidly accelerate the fighter jet to very high speeds in a short time, necessitating reengineering.
Secondly, the radar of the J-15B is also upgraded to an active electronically scanned array radar. CCP fighter jets, be it the J-20 or the new J-10C, have already been equipped with their versions of AESA radar. Besides the radar, the avionics equipment of the J-15B will also receive corresponding updates; the cockpit, helmet display, among others, will be upgraded to the standard of the J-10C or the J-20.
Thirdly, the J-15B may have replaced its engines. Currently, most J-15B models still employ the proven Russian AL-31 engines, but there are reports indicating that this model has undergone testing with the domestically produced WS-10 engine.
In summary, the J-15B and J-15A are fighter jets with completely different performance capabilities. If the J-15A were to appear in the Pacific theater, it would be detected from long distances by U.S., Taiwanese, and Japanese F-16, F-15, F-18 fighters, which could launch missiles and take it down. In contrast, the J-15B is a genuine fourth-generation fighter aircraft, capable of challenging the U.S. Air Force in the Pacific. This is also why the J-15A has not been mass-produced, as the CCP Navy recognizes its limitations.
Also observed in the exercise is another fighter jet, the J-15D, a traditional electronic warfare model. There’s a saying in the CCP military circles called “Crossing the River by Feeling the Stones,” which signifies emulating or learning from the U.S. military’s actions. Despite domestic propaganda portraying the U.S. as an enemy, in military equipment development, the CCP military must emulate or learn from the U.S. military.
In the U.S. Navy, the EA-18G “Growler” aircraft plays a crucial role, particularly in the 1990s in the East China Sea region, where the CCP and the U.S. engaged in an electronic warfare clash. At that time, all CCP radars were disrupted, leading to a defeat. This experience made the CCP realize the importance of electronic warfare in modern warfare.
Initially, the CCP developed an electronic warfare version on the J-16 fighter jet, featuring a large electronic warfare pod installed on the fuselage, removal of the traditional infrared search and track sensor as well as the cannon, additional arch and blade antennas mounted around the airframe, and the ability to carry more electronic warfare pods under the fuselage.
The manufacturer of the J-16D is Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, the same one that developed the J-15 carrier-based aircraft. Therefore, for Shenyang, integrating some electronic warfare technologies of the J-16D into the J-15 and developing a carrier-based version of the electronic warfare aircraft is a relatively straightforward task. The appearance of the J-16D at the Zhuhai Airshow implies that the J-15D electronic warfare aircraft is also set to be unveiled.
Given the limited channels for obtaining detailed information on CCP fighter jet capabilities, it is challenging to perform a detailed analysis. However, on paper, the presence of the J-15B and J-15D signifies a significant enhancement in the operational capability of the CCP Navy’s aviation forces. Whether this combination of aviation forces can challenge the U.S. F/A-18 and EA-18G “Growler” electronic warfare aircraft remains to be seen. With the presence of the F-35 stealth fighter and the EA-18G “Growler,” the U.S. still maintains absolute superiority in the skies over the Western Pacific.
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