On the afternoon of March 15th, around 1:30 PM, a fighter jet from the Southern Theater Command crashed during training and went down in Lingao County, Hainan Province. Video footage of the incident shows the fighter jet losing power completely, descending vertically with its nose down, crashing into the ground, causing a raging fire, while the pilot successfully ejected. Today, we will delve into the details of this incident, exploring the type of fighter jet involved and the possible causes.
Before analyzing the cause of the accident, it is essential to confirm the model of the aircraft. Initially, there was speculation about it being a J-15 fighter jet due to its location in Hainan, where China’s Shandong aircraft carrier is based. However, in Hainan’s northern Lingao County, the 8th Naval Aviation Brigade operates J-11BH fighter jets. Meanwhile, in Lingshui County near Sanya, Hainan, J-15 fighters are stationed, specifically for operations on the Shandong aircraft carrier. The two airbases are approximately 140 kilometers apart.
Aircraft carriers are docked at the southern tip of Hainan in Sanya, while the crash site is in the northern region of Lingao County. Taiwanese military expert Wen Joseph identified the location of the accident, a few kilometers west of the Lingao airbase in Hainan. In the footage, the landing gear of the fighter jet is seen deployed, indicating a malfunction during landing. However, J-11 fighter jets are deployed at the Lingao airfield, not J-15s.
Therefore, there are two possible speculations about this incident: either a J-11 at Lingao experienced an accident during landing, or a J-15 training nearby suddenly encountered trouble and attempted an emergency landing at Lingao.
Chinese fighter jets – J-11, J-15, and J-16 – are all derived from the Su-27 series, so they share similarities in appearance. However, there are crucial distinctions among them. One simple way to differentiate between Chinese fighter jet models is through the color of the radar cover, which can be black, dark gray, or light gray.
J-11 fighter jets use a pure black radar cover, as indicated in a report by Sina from 2022. On the other hand, J-15’s radar cover is dark gray, showcasing a notable contrast with J-11’s pure black cover.
Looking back at the footage of the incident, the radar cover appears dark gray in the sunlight, indicating that the crashed aircraft likely was a carrier-based J-15. However, distinguishing between dark gray and black in sunlight can be challenging.
Examining a second key point, the structure of the J-15 fighter jet differs from that of the J-11. While they both stem from the Su-27 series, the J-15 features two small canard wings at the front of the fuselage for enhanced lift, facilitating short take-offs and landings on aircraft carriers. Observing the crash video, there appears to be a presence of canard wings on the crashed fighter jet’s fuselage, although this detail cannot be confirmed conclusively due to the video’s resolution.
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