🧨 1. J-15 “Flying Shark” fully retired in 2025 just 13 years after its debut.
- In comparison, the U.S. F/A-18 has been flying for 40+ years since 1983
- Russia’s Su-33 has served for 25+ years
- It couldn’t match modern battlefield demands—range, stealth, system integration
🚀 2. China’s Breakneck Military-Industrial Advancement Made It Obsolete
Unlike the U.S., which incrementally upgraded legacy fighters, China leapfrogged ahead. The J-15 was outpaced by successor models born just a few years later.
- J-15T: catapult-ready, AESA radar, PL-15 missiles, compatible with Fujian’s EMALS
- J-35: stealth, sensor fusion, long-range, and built for joint-force ops
- KJ-600 AEW&C and J-15D EW aircraft created a modern carrier air ecosystem
- The J-15 couldn’t integrate into this networked warfare system
📈 3. The J-15’s Retirement Is Not a Failure, It’s a Milestone
The J-15 was never meant to be a final solution it was a transitional tool that gave China its first taste of carrier ops. Its short life reflects China’s explosive industrial momentum.
- Trained pilots, proved deck-launch procedures, tested logistics
- Enabled quick iteration: from STOBAR to EMALS in one generation
- Its retirement is a sign of success: industrial speed turned hardware into history
- China outpaced itself—and in doing so, rewrote the tempo of naval aviation development
