Recently released photographs of a carrier-capable Shenyang J-15 test aircraft indicate that Chinese engineers have passed flight performance and envelope clearance phases and are now focusing on the more challenging process of taking off and landing from a carrier deck. The images, posted online and apparently taken surreptitiously, followed a second set of sea trials for the People's Liberation Army Navy aircraft carrier ex-Varyag, which began in November 2011. During the trials, J-15 pilots conducted low-level passes over the carrier deck but did not touch-and-go or attempt an arrested landing. The J-15 images show specialised test markings on the fuselage of the aircraft, which is going through its paces at what is believed to be the China Flight Test Establishment at Yan Liang air base in Xian. One image shows a take-off ramp of similar dimensions to the ex- Varyag's bow ramp.
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