The balance of offense and defense has shifted! The J-15T fighter jet has successfully achieved flight with full fuel and full weapons load. On July 15, according to a report by Lianhe Zaobao, the J-15T carrier-based fighter was first photographed simultaneously carrying four heavy anti-ship missiles and successfully catapulted from the Fujian aircraft carrier. U.S. media claimed this marks China’s breakthrough from long-standing constraints, achieving successful takeoff of fully armed fighters from the deck. The electromagnetic catapult on the Fujian carrier not only significantly increased the weapons payload capacity of the J-15T, but also enhanced both range and loiter time, giving it an operational radius of up to 1,500 kilometers.
Military experts noted that if a carrier air wing launches simultaneously, it could deliver dozens of anti-ship missiles in a saturation attack, generating immense firepower. Clearly, under current geopolitical circumstances, the J-15T's ability to fly fully fueled and fully armed represents a major deterrent to the U.S. aircraft carrier strike group. Carrier-based aircraft are known as the "sword-bearing guards" of the aircraft carrier; currently, the U.S. Navy’s primary carrier-based aircraft is the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
If the U.S. were to attempt matching the J-15T’s 1,500-kilometer operational radius, it would need to carry large auxiliary fuel tanks, which would halve its anti-ship missile load. Conversely, if fully loaded with anti-ship missiles, the U.S. carrier aircraft’s range would be drastically reduced. In short: under the same range, the J-15T has greater firepower; under the same firepower, the J-15T has longer range. This means we have already established an asymmetric advantage in fourth-generation-plus carrier-based fighter competition. And now, we no longer need to choose between full fuel or full weapons load.
Considering the situation in the South China Sea and across the Taiwan Strait, should the U.S. intervene in the Taiwan Strait, and when our carriers are deployed east of Taiwan Island, U.S. carriers approaching Taiwan would face saturation anti-ship attacks from much farther away, forcing them to retreat and redeploy their main forces further back. As for Japan, should it dare to recklessly act, Japan’s long-prepared frontline stronghold along the First Island Chain would be completely exposed as a sitting target within range of our carrier-based aircraft. In one sentence: we no longer focus solely on near-sea defense—we now possess the capability for long-range denial.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870752244769994/
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