They forgot the original Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker? How pathetic.
If you want to know how J-15 fares against F/A-18E/F, you need to find
out how Su-33 fares against the F/A-18 first.
Then, add or subtract certain performance parameters of the Su-33 according
to the abilities of J-15 and you'll arrive at your answer about how it fares
against Super Hornet.
I would consider multiple major aspects while comparing these two planes -
Range - Undoubtedly, J-15 holds the upper hand, thanks to the original
Flanker bloodline that entails jets to have large internal fuel capacity.
Payload - J-15's usual payload will be about 14,300lbs (6500kg),
approximately same as that of Su-33, while F/A-18 payload capacity, is
far greater at 17,700lbs (8050kg)
But it should be remembered that J-15, being a STOBAR aircraft it has
certain disadvantages in regard to payload at time of launch. J-15/Su-33
have 12 hardpoints while SH has 1 less. But all in all, F/A-18 holds the
upper hand here.
Speed - Flanker all the way, but watch the fuel gauge because
high-speed flying is going to cost a lot of fuel and thus far I haven't seen
J-15 buddy-refueling with another J-15. So it's unlikely this aspect is going
to play a big role as it could reduce sortie rate.
Maneuverability - J-15 wins. But F/A-18 isn't that bad either. Under
most circumstances, J-15 won't be able to make good use of this ability.
Victory however goes to J-15 with the SH not far behind.
Agility - The F/A-18's smaller size and nimbleness is likely to give it
the edge of agility in close combat. J-15 isn't bad either but it's too large &
too heavy to be as nimble as SH. But the canards on J-15 make up for it
to an extent, it's a good tie, with a slight edge to F/A-18.
Low Observability - F/A-18 all the way, it will always get the first
look and therefore the first shot.
Radar - Raytheon's AN/APG-79 AESA holds the upper hand. It's a
very capable radar & the Chinese' yet-a-prototype AESAs (which may or
may not find their way into J-15 in the near future) are nowhere near the
technology offered by the US AESAs.
Sensors - Both jets can have IRST, although J-15 doesn't need to
sacrifice a weapon store to mount one, so J-15 is better here. But considering
the quality of US equipment vis-à-vis Chinese ones, I wouldn't bet too much
on J-15's IRST. SH's version is likely to be more capable, although I'm not sure.
SH holds the upper hand in almost all the other sensor departments. SH ends
up with the edge.
Combat - BVR - J-15's huge RCS will and shall give away it's
position to the APG-79 much earlier, SH also can take the first shot with
the new AMRAAMs. So F/A-18 wins here.
Combat - WVR/Dogfighting - Leaving the abilities of AIM-9X and
China's WVR missiles aside, modern day WVR combat more and more depends
on who can cue their high-g missiles onto the enemy better, rather than
conducting high-g maneuvers themselves to get an angle on the opponent.
I would bet all my pennies on JHMCS HMD rather than anything Chinese have
to offer.
Even while evading enemy missiles, US quality of systems will allow them
to hold the upper hand most of the time. So SH holds the upper hand here too.
Availability - A single Nimitz-class ACC can deploy a far greater number
of F-18s than the Liaoning. That means USN will have the numbers advantage
as well. The extremely large size of Flanker will limit it's functioning within the
space on Liaoning, and as I have learnt from a former IN Harrier pilot, this will
have an effect on sortie rate as well. So SH inevitably holds the upper hand.
All in all, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is and will be a much better fighter plane
than J-15 Flying Shark.
That's what I concluded.
--*--
A likely point to argue WRT to the ordnance-carrying capabilities is that J-15
has 1 more hardpoint compared to SH, here's why F/A-18 cannot be considered
any less lethal because it may appear it have less hardpoints -
Air-to-air payload:
^^ As you can see, the F-18 is carrying 10 x AMRAAMs, 2 x Sidewinders & 1 x drop tank, total 13 stations, despite the No. of hardpoints being claimed as 11 only.
It can still carry a lot more than this. Also, note that the plane in the picture is a F-18C/D who's max payload is about 1800kg less than latest F/A-18E/F that we're talking about. So you can understand the real ordnance-carrying capacity of Rhino when compared to J-15 Flying Shark, who's payload capacity is only comparable to old F-18 versions.
Just for further reference,
Air-to-Ground payload in multiple-ejector racks:
^^Here you can see it carrying 10 x Air-to-Ground munitions and 2 x Air-to-Air missiles while still having 2 empty hardpoints, which can again carry 2 AAMs, one on each, taking the number to 14.
So you see, having 1 extra "hardpoint" is hardly any advantage for J-15.
