Chinese carrier-based fighter J-15, the prototype for which was the Russian su-33 is markedly inferior in performance to the original. And the main problem lies in the engines, the author of the American edition The National Interest.
As known to the skilled Soviet aircraft Т10К-7 (prototype su-33) was purchased by China from Ukraine in 2001, after which the designers from China began to study their inherited technology. The result was the light J-15 – its serial production began only in 2013. This delay was due to difficulties in the implementation of the technology folding the wing. On the other hand, the Chinese rests on the fact that the J-15 is not a copy of su-33, as many have been refined (by the way, the serial production of the Russian aircraft began in 1989, after which he has been repeatedly modernized).
the Problem is that developed for the J-15 Chinese engine WS-10 is not reliable, and powerful enough that the plane could realize their potential with a maximum combat load.
According to the author NI, engine trouble and other technical shortcomings led to at least four accidents J-15, in one case the pilot was killed. The power unit of the aircraft in the sea in General more complicated than on land. Fighters have to deal with high temperatures, high humidity, and, most problematic – with the saturation of the air with salt that causes the corrosion, airframe, and engine parts. It is possible that this was a contributing factor to failures of the J-15 in China.
in Addition, the design of the J-15 does not involve refueling in the air that su-33 is not a problem.
