Chinese Fighter Jet Spotted Taking Off with Four Anti-Ship Missiles for the First Time

A photograph circulating on the Chinese internet shows a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) J-15T fighter jet taking off from the Fujian aircraft carrier carrying four YJ-83K anti-ship missiles. The payload is twice that of any weapons configuration previously seen on a J-15. The image is the strongest indication yet that the Fujian’s electromagnetic catapult system is beginning to allow the strike fighter to take off with a heavy weapons load. The J-15T was seen engaging full afterburner moments before leaving the carrier’s deck. The photograph appears to be the first sighting of a J-15T flying with four YJ-83Ks, though the timing of the image was not specified. The four missiles have a combined weight of approximately 2.9 tonnes, not including other weapons or equipment that may not be visible. Previously, J-15T prototypes had only been seen carrying a single YJ-83K training missile. The YJ-83K is a radar-guided subsonic anti-ship missile with a reported range of around 180 kilometres. The missile weighs about 726 kilograms and carries a semi-armour-piercing warhead of approximately 163 kilograms, designed to fly low over the sea surface to reduce the chance of detection. The ability to carry four missiles demonstrates a major difference between the Fujian and China’s two previous aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and Shandong. Both of those vessels use a ski-jump ramp that limits the weight of fuel and weapons during take-off. The Fujian employs an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS). This catapult system allows the J-15T to launch from a flat deck with a heavier payload before recovering using arrestor wires, a method known as CATOBAR. In previous configurations, J-15s operating from the Liaoning or Shandong were typically seen carrying a maximum of two YJ-83Ks and four air-to-air missiles. The emergence of the four YJ-83K configuration shows that the Fujian is beginning to unlock the J-15T’s strike potential, which had been constrained by the ski-jump system. The additional capacity can be used not only for anti-ship missiles but also for more fuel, PL-10 and PL-15 air-to-air missiles, long-range YJ-15 anti-ship missiles, or buddy refuelling pods.