According to a November 10 report by the U.S. "Military Observation," China's new carrier-based fighter jet, the J-15T, has officially entered service and has become the main carrier-based aircraft of the Fujian aircraft carrier. This aircraft symbolizes China's complete transition from ski-jump takeoff to electromagnetic catapult for its aircraft carrier aviation forces.

The report specifically compares the J-15T with the U.S. Navy's current F-18E/F "Super Hornet," pointing out that both represent two entirely different carrier combat philosophies in terms of technology, system, and strategy.

The J-15T originates from the Su-27 series but has undergone years of improvement, completely transforming it.

The J-15T features reinforced landing gear structures, a more robust airframe, and stronger engine thrust, allowing it to take off with a higher payload on the Fujian aircraft carrier's electromagnetic catapult system.

More importantly, the electromagnetic catapult allows carrier-based aircraft to no longer be restricted by the ski-jump runway, enabling them to carry full fuel and weapons for long-range combat missions.

At the same time, the J-15T is equipped with a new generation of domestically produced active phased array radar, significantly enhancing its detection range and target identification capabilities. It also features a data link system that can share information with the J-35 and the KJ-600 carrier-based early warning aircraft, thus forming an integrated networked combat system.

Chinese Carrier Aircraft

In contrast, the U.S. F/A-18E/F "Super Hornet," even after upgrading to Block 3 version, still shows insufficient improvements and potential. Its thrust-to-weight ratio, range, and radar size are lagging behind the Chinese J-15T.

The "Super Hornet" was born during the period of cuts after the end of the Cold War. Its role was to unify the deck, completely replacing the F-14 heavy fighter, the A-7 light attack aircraft, and even the A-6 heavy attack aircraft. That is to say, it is a multi-purpose fighter that is extremely cost-effective.

The U.S. Navy hoped to maintain combat power through lower maintenance costs, smaller airframes, and higher sortie rates, especially through a very small number of personnel in the fleet, rather than pursuing extreme performance.

This approach was relatively reasonable in the budget-limited era of "counter-terrorism wars," but it inevitably means that the "Super Hornet" will struggle to remain competitive in the new era of "great power competition."

In contrast, the J-15 series continues the heavy air superiority route, based on the high-maneuverability, large radar Su-27 platform, and combined with the avionics, composite materials, and data link technologies accumulated in China's fifth-generation fighter development.

The result is that Chinese carrier aircraft are fully superior in range, payload, radar power, and information perception.

Especially the operational range of the J-15T is almost twice that of the F-18E/F, which means the Fujian aircraft carrier's strike range can extend across the entire Western Pacific without relying on aerial refueling support.

Chinese Aircraft Carrier

This gap is even more evident in the overall coordination capability of the carrier combat system.

The Fujian aircraft carrier is equipped with three domestically produced electromagnetic catapults, capable of continuously launching heavy fighters, early warning aircraft, and drones, possessing multiple capabilities such as air superiority, strike, early warning, and anti-submarine warfare, forming a complete carrier aviation system.

Although the U.S. Navy's Ford-class aircraft carriers are also equipped with electromagnetic catapults, they still rely on the F-18E/F as the mainstay due to the delayed integration of the F-35C and aging carrier aircraft.

This means that although the U.S. Navy's aircraft carriers may have advanced technology in some aspects, there are structural contradictions in their combat systems, and their overall combat effectiveness is not necessarily superior.

The U.S. media also mentioned that the budget for the sixth-generation carrier-based aircraft project, F/A-XX, has been cut, and its service date is still far away. Meanwhile, the prototype of China's sixth-generation fighter has already entered the test flight stage. This time difference will directly translate into a maritime power gap in the coming years.

F/A-18E/F

For a long time, the U.S. Navy has relied on aircraft carrier groups to maintain global deterrence, and its strategic core is blue-water projection, meaning maintaining air superiority anywhere at sea.

But this model is based on two premises: technological superiority and an advantage in operational range.

Now, the emergence of the J-15T is shaking these two premises. The electromagnetic catapult allows China's aircraft carriers to efficiently launch heavy fighters, and the improvement in radar and missile performance makes it possible for China to have equal battlefield information perception as the U.S. Meanwhile, the long range and data link network allow carrier aircraft to operate in coordination with land-based early warning systems.

This system advantage is exactly what the U.S. military is most worried about when facing China's near-sea operating environment.

The Fujian aircraft carrier and the J-15T represent the rise of strategic confidence. China is no longer passively responding to long-range pressure but has the ability to shape the maritime order.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7571317788761948722/

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