Main difference seems to be that the T uses WS-10s and the B will keep the Russian engines, there are other differences ofc but this is the biggest imo.
First image with J-15T on top and the old J-15 on the bottom
Second image with J-15B with AL-31s. The nozzles are longer, easy way to spot them.
I don’t see any composite parts other than the antenna fairings
Would composites be visible even if the primer is already applied?
not really, but judging by the unpainted antennas, no-one’s done it.and then the composite is painted on straight away.
Well i go off of what i read in Rupprecht’s books, i think the claims are from the Red Dragon Flankers book.
Based on this book, it’s just a guess. And most likely the power pack is still metal. Composites could have been used in the landing gear flaps, brake shield, flaperons.
Although Chinese wikipedia says empty weight of 16380kg, which is heavier than the base Su-27 at 16000kg
Yeah that is just J-11B, it does mention reports with the claims, i would have to personally ask the author to point the reports… I’ll trust his book and cut myself some work.
Wikipedia is not a good source, even if it is Chinese wikipedia.
J-11B is lighter than J-11A. J-11A is heavier than base Su-27 from what I know.
Any sources?
J-11A is heavier due to the reinforced landing gear. We also have that modelled in-game, iirc 500kg heavier.
Video that documents fabrication of materials for J-11B.
600kg last time I checked
Yes, and that is a pretty noticeable hit sometimes in terms of flight performance.
Thank you
I think T has adapted for catapult and B hasn’t?
We know that the T is CATOBAR capable, whether the B is or isn’t we still don’t fully know. I see the T as the fighter for Fujian and the B as a replacement for the normal J-15s of the Liaoning and Shandong.
The Abrams dropped two tons of weight from electronics alone when switching to fiber optics and it’s not very large. The total mass is something like 160,000+ pounds. A fully loaded Su-33 is 90-100k.
The Chinese considerably upgraded electronics in these fighters after the mid 2000’s, this very easily explains the weight reduction without the use of composites.
He is a German who is a fan of sino airplanes. All of his information and sources come from the sino defense forum and is no more credible than BBCRF as a direct source.
It is still an authored book, whether if it is accurate or not i honestly don’t care, we don’t have reliable ways of getting info when it comes to Chinese vehicles unless brochures are directly provided by them (export). The best book that could be used for Chinese aircrafts is this one:
Sadly, it stops at J-10A and J-11A.
