So it did fly... or not... well, it might of... but basically that's no more than an internet rumor... so no one really knows if it did or didn't... if it even exists yet.

 

Another misleading title, as per your usual.

 

I get the same feeling than Warpig . Chinese sites (especialy unofficial ones) can be very misleading .

Wait and see ...

 

Cheers .

Yeah...remember the hoax of China's "new attack helicopter," which proved to be a Photoshopped Tiger?

 

I'm also curious what good a Su-33/J-15 would be, since China doesn't have a carrier yet.  They slapped a new coat of paint on the old Varyag, but until I see shakedown trials with Su-33s doing CarQuals, I'm not putting money on it.

The article is quoting Richard Fisher as the source of original rumor.

 

 

Sentinel :

Only with regard to some old post of his about the J-15 being based on the Su-33, not the part about it supposedly flying two weeks ago.  Besides, I'm not sure that citing him is particularly persuasive in any event.

> I'm also curious what good a Su-33/J-15 would be, since China doesn't have a carrier yet.


The first of three ships is under construction. It is a 60,000 ton Varyag copy. 
 

 

Oh really?  And the source for that information is...?  Are you going to cite another internet rumor with nothing to substantiate it?

 

Probably Wikipedia, which is where I found it.  The PLAN is apparently putting the Varyag back into service, since she's in dry dock, but they didn't move her there until April of this year, and she's still there waiting for new engines.

 

As far as the new carriers go, China hasn't started constructing them yet, though Wiki also lists them as being planned to launch in 2015.  Entirely possible, if they start building it this year or early next.  Hard to say with the Chinese, who say a lot of things when it comes to future ships, aircraft, buildings, etc.  It could be on the level or it could be a big bluff.

 

Either way, a Varyag up against a US carrier battlegroup is a pretty ugly mismatch for the Varyag.  China is looking towards blue water operations, but they really don't need carriers to go after Taiwan.  The South China Sea is a good possibility, but again, they don't need carriers for ops against the Philippines (whose air force is built strictly for COIN) or Vietnam (whose air force could be overwhelmed by Chinese land-based air).  Australia, Malaysia, or Singapore would tear apart a Varyag-size air wing, as would Japan or South Korea if it was operating in northern waters.