In March, China's first domestically produced aircraft carrier Shandong returned to its "parental home" Dalian Shipyard to start maintenance work. This was also the first time the Shandong aircraft carrier returned to port for large-scale maintenance 27 months after joining the South China Sea Fleet. According to the practices of US Navy aircraft carriers, routine maintenance work is also quite common in the entire aircraft carrier cycle. As a gold-swallowing behemoth, aircraft carriers spend a full third of their combat lives dealing with maintenance and upgrades.
US Navy aircraft carriers usually return to port for large-scale maintenance during a 36-month deployment cycle, and the Shandong aircraft carrier also undergoes a selective limited maintenance period of about three months to prepare for the new deployment cycle of the Shandong aircraft carrier. After all, the Shandong aircraft carrier is the crystallization of China's military technology. It is equipped with high-precision military equipment. Regular maintenance and repairs also ensure that the aircraft carrier is in good enough condition during normal training and deterrence. Currently, the Shandong aircraft carrier has been undergoing maintenance at the Dalian Shipyard for three months. The re-launching and undocking means that the Shandong aircraft carrier's maintenance is about to end. However, there are also obvious changes on the deck of the aircraft carrier. The J-15D electronic warfare aircraft The full-size model appears on the flight deck.
When the Shandong aircraft carrier entered the dock for routine maintenance work, there is a saying that the Shandong aircraft carrier's maintenance is also to prepare for the launch of the new carrier-based aircraft , which is likely to be the Chinese Navy's new generation of fighter- 35 carrier-based aircraft, there were once 4 J-15 carrier-based aircraft and 2 J-35 stealth carrier-based aircraft in the same frame. At the same time, the J-35 carrier-based fighter jets were equipped with new engines. It is speculated that the Shandong aircraft carrier is under maintenance. It is acquiring new combat capabilities and upgrading work, which is obviously related to the J-35 carrier-based aircraft.
The Shandong aircraft carrier returned to port for maintenance, and the new version of the J-35 stealth carrier-based aircraft was unveiled. It is inevitable that people will think of the connection between the two, and the J-35 carrier-based fighter also has the reality of skiing onto the deck of the Shandong aircraft carrier. feasibility. At this stage, the British Navy aircraft carrier is equipped with the F-35B fighter , which relies on vertical lift engines to achieve short takeoffs on the ski jump aircraft carrier, while the Russian aircraft carrier is equipped with the MiG-29K light carrier-based aircraft and the Su-33 heavy-duty aircraft. Fighter , also during a ski jump on the deck.
The Chinese Navy Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers also carry J-15 heavy fighter jets to take off and land on ski jump decks. Obviously, China has mastered ski jump take-off and landing technology and experience in carrier-based aircraft take-off and landing. The Indian Navy is inviting tenders to purchase a new generation of carrier-based aircraft to be deployed on the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, including the US Navy's F/A-18E/F carrier-based fighter jets and the French Rafale M carrier-based aircraft. After partial improvements, they can be deployed on the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The take-off from the ground ski-jump deck simulation facility means that these two carrier-based aircraft have the possibility of boarding the Indian aircraft carrier Vikrant.
The J-35 carrier-based fighter combines the F-35 fighter's aerodynamic layout , taking into account high-speed characteristics and low-altitude victory characteristics. It is easy to take off and land on the 305-meter-long deck of the Shandong aircraft carrier. Coupled with the J-35 carrier-based fighter It is a twin-engine medium-sized fighter, so weight is not an issue.
Obviously, what appears on the deck of the Shandong aircraft carrier is not a J-35 carrier-based fighter model, but a J-15D electronic warfare aircraft. The overall appearance is the same as the J-15 carrier-based fighter . The difference is that the wings are equipped with electronic warfare pods. Based on the J-15 carrier-based fighter's takeoff and landing on the Shandong aircraft carrier, the J-15D electronic warfare aircraft was born out of the J-15 fighter. Radiation source positioning pods and were added to both ends of the wings to achieve precise positioning of targets at sea. , guiding electronic jammers and anti-radiation missiles to conduct long-range precision strikes.
At present, Chinese Air Force is equipped with J-16D electronic warfare aircraft, which is also derived from J-16 heavy fighter . It is equipped with electronic warfare pods. The body is equipped with four large electronic exhibition pods and the wing tips are equipped with two Three-baseline interferometer direction finding antenna pod. The J-15D electronic warfare aircraft can learn from the experience of the J-16D electronic warfare aircraft and is equipped with the same electronic warfare pod on the wingtip as the J-16D electronic warfare aircraft.The J-15D electronic warfare aircraft is completely "J-16D-like" to create the Chinese version of the EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft .
The J-15D electronic warfare aircraft is equipped with an airborne active phased array radar, replacing the mechanical scanning radar used by the J-15 fighter jets. It will improve the Shandong aircraft carrier's electronic warfare and air defense suppression capabilities and adopt high-precision radiation source positioning. The system can accurately locate the opponent's radiation source at a long distance, obtain the opponent's electromagnetic information and transmit it to the J-15 carrier-based fighter, establishing a complete battlefield electromagnetic situation for the aircraft carrier strike group, and at the same time providing escort ships and J-15 carrier-based fighter firepower strike systems. Target indication.
The appearance of two J-15D electronic warfare aircraft on the deck of the Shandong aircraft carrier means that it will be equipped with two J-15D electronic warfare aircraft to form a mixed formation with the J-15 carrier-based fighter jets to ensure that the naval aircraft carrier's carrier-based aircraft combat capabilities are significant. Enhance. Once the J-15D electronic warfare aircraft is deployed on the Shandong aircraft carrier, it will increase its air superiority combat capabilities. With the excellent electronic jamming and suppression capabilities of the J-15D electronic warfare aircraft, it can capture and locate F-22 and F-35, etc. The most important thing is that the stealth fighter radar signal is no longer helpless in the face of the US Navy F-35 stealth fighter .
The J-15D electronic warfare aircraft provides accompanying escort operations for the J-15 carrier-based fighter formation. It relies on electromagnetic interference suppression to perform "soft kills", making enemy air defense missiles or fighter jets "blind". Due to the high level of integration, It can be called the patron saint of carrier-based aircraft formations. If the J-15D electronic warfare aircraft joins the Shandong aircraft carrier formation, it will solve the problems faced by China's carrier-based aircraft forces in the field of carrier-based electronic warfare and make up for the shortcomings of not having a professional carrier-based early warning aircraft.
The aircraft carrier Shandong is equipped with J-15D electronic warfare aircraft, and the aircraft carrier Liaoning will also be equipped with the new version of J-15D electronic warfare aircraft. The aircraft carrier Fujian will be equipped with four J-15D electronic warfare aircraft to form an electronic warfare attack aircraft squadron. In this case, the Chinese Navy's aircraft carrier strike group will no longer be afraid of the US Navy's E/A-18G "Growler" electronic warfare aircraft. The Shandong aircraft carrier is equipped with a J-15D electronic warfare aircraft model, which is also an attempt for later deck deployment to be deployed on the Fujian aircraft carrier.
