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US Navy F/A-18s would 'destroy' China's J-15 carrier fighters in air-to-air combat today, but the future could be a different story
"It would probably be a slaughter if there was an air-to-air battle between aircraft launched from the Liaoning and a Nimitz-class carrier."
International
China's carrier-based J-15 fighter jets have some advantages over the US Navy's F/A-18s in air-to-air combat, but the limitations of China's existing carriers negate them.
"If you're talking about the J-15 going up against the F/A-18 at sea, then the F/A-18 is going to destroy the J-15," a defense expert told Insider.
But the new carrier that China is building could give the J-15 the opportunity to leverage its advantages, potentially making it more of a threat for US Navy fighters.
The Chinese navy's Shenyang J-15 fighters do not stand much of a chance against the US Navy's F/A-18s today, but that may not always be the case, especially as China builds a better aircraft carrier, experts told Insider.
China has the world's largest navy, according to the Pentagon's latest assessment, and it continues to grow. In recent years, the country has managed to field two aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, both of which carry complements of Shenyang J-15 "Flying Shark" fighter jets.
The Soviet-style carriers have air wings consisting of around 20 to 30 J-15 fighter aircraft.
China argues that the J-15 is comparable to the US Navy's F/A-18, in some cases even possessing advantages over the Navy's primary carrier-based strike fighter. The J-15 is capable, but if the Chinese carrier fighter went head-to-head with an F/A-18, it would likely get slaughtered, experts said.