J-15T Training Accelerates, PLA Fujian Aircraft Carrier's High-Intensity Operational Capability Enters Remedial Phase in 2026

On July 14, the PLA Navy publicly released a set of training footage featuring carrier-based aircraft, which on the surface appears to be just J-15 series aircraft performing takeoff and landing cycles at a land-based station. However, what I find more significant is that ground personnel, landing command, refueling, armament loading, and maintenance support are all integrated into the same process. For the Fujian aircraft carrier, this is more critical than whether a single aircraft can be catapulted for takeoff.

Land-Based Deck Training Reveals More Than Just Flight Demonstrations

According to Army Recognition, based on PLA Navy footage, the training utilized a land-based runway marked with carrier landing zone identifiers, covering simulated landings, go-arounds, ground handling after arrested landings, and preparations for subsequent launches. The location has not been disclosed, but such training typically allows pilots, landing signal officers, maintenance crews, and deck personnel to repeatedly refine their coordination, preventing the consumption of valuable at-sea training time on basic processes.

In simple terms, the real challenge for carrier-based aviators is not a single landing, but whether they can stably, safely, and predictably launch and recover dozens of sorties within a single day. The strength of U.S. aircraft carriers lies in their systems, while China's carriers have historically been weak in this regard. After the Fujian is commissioned, without sufficient land-based cycle training, the three electromagnetic catapults will merely become hardware specifications.

J-15T Brings Payload Issues to the Forefront

The basic model of the J-15 is derived from the Su-33 aerodynamic layout, with a length of approximately 21.9 meters, a wingspan of about 14.7 meters, and a publicly estimated maximum takeoff weight close to 33 tons, with around 12 hardpoints. The Liaoning and Shandong carriers use ski-jump takeoff, which necessitates trade-offs between fuel and weapon payload during short takeoffs. The J-15T features a dual-wheel nose landing gear, catapult hook, and improved avionics, and it is widely believed to be designed for use with the Fujian's electromagnetic catapults.

An easily overlooked detail is that in the footage released on July 9, the J-15T took off from the Fujian with a configuration of four YJ-83K anti-ship missiles. Each YJ-83K weighs approximately 725 kilograms, with a warhead of about 165 kilograms and a publicly estimated range of around 180 kilometers, meaning that four missiles alone weigh close to 2.9 tons. The significance of the electromagnetic catapult is not to magically increase range, but to provide commanders with more options regarding fuel, weapons, and takeoff safety margins.

The Fujian Needs Process Mass Production

• The Liaoning and Shandong primarily addressed ski-jump carrier training, formation escort, and basic offshore deployment.
• The Fujian has a displacement of over 80,000 tons and employs three electromagnetic catapults, making the rhythm of aviation support significantly more complex.
• The future carrier air group may also include the J-35, J-15D, KJ-600, Z-20, and drones, meaning that deck scheduling pressure will not increase linearly.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense reported in 2025 that during the Liaoning's deployment in the Western Pacific, approximately 550 aircraft and helicopters took off and landed, while the Shandong had about 230 during the same period. This number cannot be directly equated to wartime sortie rates, as it mixes fighter jets and helicopters and does not specify mission durations and availability. However, it indicates that the PLA Navy is accumulating a substantial amount of deck cycle data, which will, in turn, shape the training outline for the Fujian.

Do Not View the Fujian as Just a Single Ship News

I believe that what is most worth watching for the Fujian in 2026 is not whether it will publicly demonstrate another catapult launch, but whether the J-15T, J-15D, and KJ-600 can form a stable daily grouping. Fixed-wing early warning aircraft can extend maritime situational awareness, electronic warfare aircraft can suppress enemy radars, and the Type 055 and Type 052D destroyers are responsible for area air defense, while supply ships determine how long the formation can remain deployed. The aircraft carrier is merely the most conspicuous link in this chain.

Public information remains limited. The training on July 14 can demonstrate that processes are being standardized, but it cannot prove that the Fujian has developed mature high-intensity combat operational capabilities.

This is also where I hold reservations about some optimistic interpretations. China has resolved the issue of whether it has a catapult-equipped aircraft carrier; the next step is whether it can train complex deck operations into an industrial assembly line. The real unanswered question is whether the deck rhythm of the Fujian will, in turn, limit the operational value of these new aircraft when the J-35 and KJ-600 are simultaneously deployed on board.

Main Sources

Army Recognition July report, PLA Navy public footage, Japanese Ministry of Defense 2025 Western Pacific carrier activity report, U.S. Department of Defense 2025 China Military Power Report.