China’s domestically produced J-15D dedicated carrier-borne electronic warfare fighter appeared in China’s official CCTV program, and judging from its formal painting, it has entered service with the Chinese Navy.
J-15D electronic warfare fighter is a modification of the basic version of China’s domestic J-15S two-seater fighter. Its main improvement is to convert the rear seat into an electronic warfare equipment operator for operating airborne electronic warfare equipment.
And radiation source positioning pods are added at both ends of the wing to accurately locate sea and ground radiation sources from a long distance, and guide electronic jammers and anti-radiation missiles to strike. The aircraft also replaces the mechanical scanning radar on J-15 fighter with an airborne active phased array radar, which has stronger air/ground detection capabilities and can accurately image ground targets in the ground synthetic aperture mode.
In the inverse synthetic aperture mode, high-precision imaging of moving targets on the surface of the sea can be performed in conjunction with the electronic support reconnaissance system to identify the type and nature of the target. Multiple electronic interference pods can be mounted under the wing, and anti-radiation missiles can also be mounted, which can suppress the target from both hardware and software aspects.
In order to provide space for electronic warfare equipment, J-15D cancels the guns on J-15 carrier-based fighter aircraft, but it could still carry air-to-air missiles and have certain air combat self-defense capabilities.
J-15D electronic warfare fighter with wingtip pods
J-15D electronic warfare fighter will effectively improved Chinese navy’s carrier-based electronic warfare and air defense suppression capabilities.
Although J-15 carrier-borne fighter can also mount electronic jamming pods to perform electronic jamming missions, launching YJ-91 anti-radiation missiles to attack the opponent’s radar, it lacks a high-precision radiation source positioning system. It can only rely on airborne radar warning receivers to locate the radiation source, and the accuracy is limited, which reduces the effectiveness of electronic interference and anti-radiation missiles.
However, J-15D electronic fighter can rely on its own high-precision radiation source positioning system to accurately locate the counterpart’s radiation source at a long distance, and guide airborne electronic jammers and anti-radiation missiles, and the combat effectiveness is doubled.
Electromagnetic information of the opponent obtained by J-15D can also be transmitted to the rear command post through the data link, so that the rear command post can establish a complete battlefield electromagnetic situation, infer the opponent’s battle intention, and provide target instructions for the Chinese firepower strike system.
J-15D is equivalent to or similar to the US EA-18G “Growler” electronic warfare fighter
In the future, J-15D electronic warfare fighter will perform tasks in two forms of long-distance and accompanying interference. The former is a certain distance from the target area. Using high-power electronic interference systems to suppress the enemy, this interference method is safer, but the interference effect is relatively poor. The other is a mixed formation of J-15D and attack aircraft accompanied by interference. J-15D electronic fighter is modified from a two-seat three-generation aircraft with good flight and maneuverability. It can form formations with third- and fourth-generation fighters and penetrate into the target zone to interfere and suppress the enemy, this effect will be much better, but vulnerable to attacks by the other side.
J-15 with YJ-91 anti-radiation missile
After J-15D electronic warfare fighter enters service, the composition of the Chinese navy aircraft carrier forces may also change.
According to relevant information, China’s carried-based J-15 fighters are now organized into a combat regiment. After J-15D electronic warfare aircrafts enter service, electronic warfare attack aircrafts like the US Navy’s carrier-based aircraft wing might be added. The US Navy’s carrier-based aircraft wing has an electronic warfare fighter squadron with four EA-18G electronic warfare fighters. The Chinese naval carrier-based aircraft may also add an electronic warfare fighter group, and the carrier-based fighter combat group may also be upgraded to an operational brigade.
