Quote:
Originally Posted by Karle94
Why be afraid of it? The J-15/SU-33 can`t take off with much fuel and arnament and is as such practically useless. Only cats can launch a plane fully fueled and armed. A feature only American and French carriers both present and future will have.
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The J-15 is not exactly a top line fighter, it's not a bad fighter but its engines are...not brilliant and are probably the weakest part of the whole design.
It probably has better sensors than the Su-33, and the AAMs aren't to be sniffed at...but yes, she most likely has shorter legs than a Hornet and they don't have any carrier bourne tankers at the moment.
Still, it's baby steps, the Liaoning was basically intended as a trainer ship, to get pilots and sailors into the frame of mind of carrier operations in a manner that a chalk outline in the middle of nowhere can't do. The next two carriers are, I believe, under construction now or are due to be started very shortly.