Updated Chinese J-15 fighter jet spotted in aircraft carrier drill footage

A more powerful and advanced version of a Chinese ship-based jet fighter seems to be in service, appearing in official footage of aircraft carrier drills, according to a military analyst.

A number of J-15Bs, an updated variant of the fourth-generation twin-jet J-15 Flying Shark, were spotted in footage and photos of high-seas navy exercises released on Thursday.

Without specifying when the exercises took place, the People’s Liberation Army Navy said the drills were the first time two of the country’s aircraft carriers – the Liaoning and the Shandong – had been involved in a joint exercise on the high seas.

Along with an escort fleet, the carriers were accompanied by at least 32 J-15s, China’s carrier-based fighters.

Andreas Rupprecht, a Germany-based China military aviation analyst, said that at least nine of the 12 airborne fighters in the images were J-15Bs.

“I must admit I’m still more than excited to see the [J-15Bs] finally in service and I cannot wait to see better images of it,” Rupprecht said.

“But there is one downside. It seems that the J-15Bs still use the old AL-31F [engines],” he said, rather than the domestically produced WS-10 turbofans, which have reportedly been tested.