Shenyang J-15T - The upgraded Shark

MightyBaozi · November 7, 2024, 3:12pm

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J-15T The upgraded Shark

PLAN

Background and History

J-15's History

Initial Deal:

The history of China’s first carrier borne fighter is directly connected to failing indigenous designs and the successful production and deployment of the J-11 and J-11A. In fact, not long after the acquisition of what eventually became the Liaoning, China sought to fill the hangars of this newly reconstructed aircraft carrier with Su-33s. Allegedly, by 2006 there were talks between China and Russia about a potential order of Su-33s. The rumors became reality once in that same year, ahead of the Zhuhai airshow, Lieutenant General Aleksander Denisov publicly confirmed that China had approached Russia regarding the possible purchase. The details of the purchase seemed to be the acquisition of 2 initial aircraft for testing purposes and a later purchase ranging from 12 to 48 aircraft.

The T10K-7:

Amidst deal talks, filled with growing suspicions from the Russian government, China opted instead to purchase a non-airworthy (actually pre-production) T10K-7 from Ukraine. The aircraft (among other sea equipment) was transferred from Saki, Ukraine to China where SAC started studying it. The reasons for this decision are to this day rather unclear, what we know is that there were multiple disagreements when it came to the deal. The formula of a win-win situation wasn’t working this time (compared to the past purchase of SU-27SKs) due to growing concerns over intellectual property and potential monetary losses from Russia. It is also acknowledged that the offered Su-33s didn’t meet China’s requirements due to outdated avionics and surplus content.

Indigenous Development:

Regardless of the real reason for the collapse of the Su-33 talks, development of what later became the J-15 officially began in 2006 under the guidance of Programme Chief Sun Cong and Deputy General Designer Wang Yongqing. Structurally, the J-15 is a true hybrid between what China had at the time and the new tech that became available thanks to the T10K-7, namely canards, arrester hook and a heavily reinforced undercarriage with long-stroke shock absorbers and twin nosewheels. Some parts of the J-15, of which we can mainly name the flaps, flaperons, tail and wings share massive similarities with the Su-33. On the other hand, the Airframe is based on the reinforced and revised structure of the J-11B, with the usage of modern composite materials in areas like the vertical fins to reduce weight.

The New Shark

The First Prototypes:

Rumors about the next potential J-15 upgrade started emerging right after the production of the second batch of the base model, with them all hinting towards a CATOBAR-capable variant that would come hand in hand with the newly announced Type 003 carrier, the Fujian.

This variant quickly became popular amongst Chinese social media, initially it was designated as J-11W or J-11WS because of its WS-10 engines, the first Shark to mount them thus far. Eventually the designation shifted to J-15T as the prototype was meant to be a testbed for catapult-assisted takeoffs.
The first few hints to back up said rumours were the images posted on Social media back in October 2014. The photos showed a Flanker prototype with an enlarged and strengthened nose undercarriage, therefore hinting at a CATOBAR variant being worked on by institute N. 601 and 704.

The upgrades were also supposed to strengthen the overall structure of the J-15 to cope with the added stress of CATOBAR operations. Additional details came out thanks to the maiden flight performed in July 2016 as the aircraft was spotted with the newly produced CATOBAR variant of the WS series of engines, the WS-10H.

The first official sighting of the J-15T through CCTV footage dates back to 2020 when, while showing a retired and heavily weathered prototype of the J-15, the cameras also captured a glimpse of a Flanker with the famous strengthened landing gear:

(The J-15T is the one on the right, not the yellow one)

Initial Goal:

Initially it was believed that the J-15T was to simply be a testbed and that nothing more than research would have come out of this project. All eyes were in fact set on the J-15B and D versions which, for obvious reasons, captured the hearts and hopes of Chinese fans for a much more modernized version of the Flying Shark. Thanks to Zhuhai’s 2024 appearance of the J-15T we can confirm that the T and B versions started off as different projects, B focused on modernizing the platform and T for testing CATOBAR capabilities. Eventually the two merged together and it seems that “J-15T” will be the official designation.

As stated previously, the main “upgrades” that this version was supposed to get were strengthened structure, indigenous engines for sea operations and the ability to test CATOBAR systems.

The Zhuhai 2024 Revelation:

As most Chinese fans will already know, we’re on the doorstep of the 2024 Zhuhai airshow. This event is known to bring surprises with plenty of announcements for the PLA, PLAGF, PLAAF and PLAN (PLANAF). This year has already been quite a pleasant surprise thanks to the unveiling of new ground forces systems and the long awaited J-35 but, most importantly, the J-15T was officially announced to enter service.

With the massive amount of images (quite detailed too) of the J-15T coming out we can see how far the upgrades have actually improved over the expectations. Although some of it is speculation, we can see from the images that the J-15T has received a new and lovely looking low-vis camouflage, a fully improved set of sensors and antennas alongside a new EW suite, potentially a massive increase in use of stronger and better materials (Most, if not all of the newer Chinese aircraft feature this) and finally, what seems to be the return of a Sino-Flanker wonderchild (looking at you J-11D), the canted radome housing a new Phased Array radar (AESA).

It is also highly likely that we’ll see plenty of new info coming out in the next few weeks and months thanks to static displays and CCTV coverage, therefore bear with me and feel free to add any sort of discovery that you might find on the J-15T.