A Chinese documentary on the Type 003 Fujian aircraft carrier announced the launch test of the Shenyang J-15T naval fighter jet using the EMALS catapult.
The documentary did not show the entire test, but rather J-15T preparing for takeoff from Fujian. J-15T is expected to become the first fighter to become operational on Fujian as a modification of the STOBAR J-15 for catapult-assisted takeoff. Following J-15T, J-35 with alleged low observability is anticipated to join the combat wing of Fujian.
It is known that China has been testing Fujian’s EMALS catapult with mock weights to validate the ability to launch the aircraft to operate from it.
EMALS catapults used on Fujian, Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers of the U.S., and France’s PA NG aircraft carrier in development offer optimised force, scalability, and shorter cooldown between uses.
The optimised force depending on aircraft weight and takeoff performance reduces the stress on the airframe resulting from excessive force, which ultimately makes the aircraft less maintenance intensive.
On the other hand, steam catapults are operated through pressure generation, which adds a preparation time for the next launch. However, the electromagnetically driven EMALS catapults can be operated consecutively as long as the required power is supplied. This capacity allows to enlarge operation enveloppes.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
