Air International 2013-03
K.Grozev, A.Mladenov - Covert Affair /Military/
Aboard the Liaoning during sea trials before her commissioning, with a Z-8JK SAR helicopter on the deck and a J-15 on a practice landing approach.
The JL-9G two-seater is a highly-modified JJ-7 (itself a MiG-21U derivative) featuring a tail hook, side intakes and a new cockpit for land-based ski-ramp and carrier deck training of pilots destined to fly the J-15.
The Z-9C (a licence-built version of the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin) is an anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue helicopter that will form part of the Liaoning's air wing.
Первая посадка опытного J-15 на палубу китайского авианосца
One of the two J-15s painted in primer catches the arrester wire on the Liaoning during the first deck trials in November 2012.
J-15 552 undergoes servicing while 553 is being moved as part of trials to train deck handlers. Note the different colours of the vests worn by the deck personnel.
A J-15 departs from the ski-ramp of the Liaoning during the 19-day period of sea trials when the ship was under way in the Northern Bahai Sea.
A PLAN J-15 in a single-tone light grey colour scheme. Externally, the J-15 is a full copy of the Su-27K Flanker-D with a completely different avionics suite and weapons.
The J-15 is a Chinese copy of the Russian Flanker-D which introduced an all-new avionics suite and weapons. Production-standard J-15s are powered by two WS-turbofans, each rated at 125kN (28,262lb) at full afterburner.
The pilot of J-15 553 prepares to release the brakes and light the afterburners for the short take-off run on the deck of the Liaoning.