Navy’s latest fighter jet debuts for Zhuhai Airshow

(China Daily) A new variant of the J-15 carrier-borne fighter jet arrived at an airport in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, on Wednesday morning, making its formal debut in front of the public.

The light gray-painted, catapult-capable J-15T landed at the Zhuhai Jinwan Airport and was soon surrounded by maintenance workers who appeared to be from the Aviation Industry Corp of China, a State-owned defense contractor and the nation’s leading aircraft maker.

The J-15T is scheduled to take part in the coming 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, set for Nov 12-17 in Zhuhai, according to the People’s Liberation Army Navy.

This is the first time that the Navy has send its aircraft to the biennial exhibition, which is China’s biggest arms expo and is commonly known as the Zhuhai Airshow.

It also marks that the J-15T variant has been formally declassified. Though the Navy published pictures of a group of what appeared to be the new planes taking part in a recent dual-carrier exercise in the South China Sea, it did not disclose any information about the previously classified jet model.

The J-15T was designed based on the baseline type of J-15 to allow it to be launched by an aircraft carrier’s catapult system, which means it can carry more fuel and munitions and fly farther.

Upon its large-scale deployment, a carrier strike group will have mightier firepower and stronger operational capability.

The twin-engine J-15 family was developed by the Shenyang Aircraft Design and Research Institute, an AVIC subsidiary in Liaoning province.

As the spearhead of the nation’s carrier force, the J-15 series is able to carry anti-ship, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles and precision-guided bombs.

Military experts said that it has comprehensive capabilities comparable to those of Russia’s Su-33 and the United States’ F/A-18 Hornet.