At this year's Zhuhai Airshow, there were too many surprises from the Chinese side, and they were all big surprises: the J-20 was equipped with a domestically produced engine; The PL-15 air-to-air missile has an upgraded version; The J-16D electronic warfare fighter made its debut and has entered practical training; Chief Engineer Yang Wei admitted that the H-20 doesn't need to wait too long; Now, the J-15 Chief Engineer has once again announced astonishing news that a new generation of carrier based aircraft has been developed, and we'll see it within the year! According to a report by Reference News on September 29th, Sun Cong, the chief designer of China's J-15 carrier based aircraft, stated in response to a reporter's question that China's new generation of carrier based aircraft will soon appear and be available to everyone as early as this year. "You won't have to wait until this year to see it.

Not long ago, Yang Wei, the chief designer of China's J-20, hinted to the media that China's strategic bomber H-20 "doesn't have to wait too long" because the "20 series" military aircraft have more than just the J-20, Y-20, and Z-20 models. Undoubtedly, Chief Engineer Sun Cong's statement is another inspiring message sent by the Chinese side at the Zhuhai Airshow.

As is well known, China already has the J-15 carrier based aircraft, and it has not yet fully formed its combat capability. The reason is simple: both the Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers belong to the ski jump takeoff type, and this takeoff form of carrier based aircraft is difficult to fully exert its combat capability, as the takeoff power is insufficient and it is difficult to take off at full capacity. Therefore, although China already has two aircraft carriers, the J-15 carrier based aircraft is difficult to fully utilize its capabilities. So, why has China already developed a new generation of carrier based aircraft and is about to launch it in this situation? This is closely related to two factors.

On the one hand, China's Type 003 aircraft carrier is about to emerge, and it is the type of aircraft carrier that China will eventually finalize for mass production. The aircraft carrier should still use conventional power, but it is China's first aircraft carrier that can fly through the deck and launch carrier based aircraft through electromagnetic catapults. Its comprehensive combat power is comparable to some nuclear powered aircraft carriers in the United States, and some evaluations believe that it is "comparable to the US Nimitz class aircraft carrier". If the maritime electromagnetic catapult system used is smoothly and gradually matured, the combat power of China's Type 003 aircraft carrier will surpass the US Nimitz class and approach the latest Ford class of the United States.

With the new aircraft carrier, there is naturally a need for new carrier based aircraft to match it, in order to quickly unleash the maximum combat power of this type of aircraft carrier and safeguard China's maritime sovereignty and security.

On the other hand, other countries' carrier based aircraft around China are showing a clear trend of "stealth". For example, the United States recently deployed its first F-35B stealth carrier based aircraft, the USS Carl Vinson, to the Asia Pacific region. The USS Carl Vinson even flew F-35B in the South China Sea.

And Japan, the "servant country" of the United States, is also accelerating the procurement of a large number of F-35 fighter jets from the United States, and is working to transform its own "helicopter destroyer" into a "quasi aircraft carrier" capable of carrying F-35 fighter jets.

Therefore, what Chinese carrier based aircraft will face in the future is not the F-18 Super Hornet, but a new generation of stealth carrier based fighter jets represented by the US F-35B Lightning. In this situation, the J-15 carrier based aircraft will undoubtedly be at a disadvantage. Therefore, it has become very urgent for China to develop a new generation of carrier based aircraft. Of course, people also expect that China is developing the next generation of carrier based aircraft, but it is still somewhat unexpected to be able to meet everyone so soon.

However, at this Zhuhai Airshow, China's surprises were indeed overwhelming to the outside world. For example, the J-20 stealth fighter jet was equipped with domestically produced engines and performed in the air. According to Chief Engineer Yang Wei, it only showed a small part of its strength during the performance. The official first disclosed some of its data, demonstrating full confidence.

In addition, the flagship weapon of the J-20, the PL-15 air-to-air missile, has also appeared in foreign trade versions, which means that China has equipped air-to-air missiles that are more powerful and have a longer range than the PL-15. The former has a range of nearly 150 kilometers, which is comparable to the most advanced air-to-air missiles in the West and the United States. Therefore, the introduction of China's new generation of carrier based aircraft to everyone is undoubtedly a great joy.

Source: Guoke Huanyu