The figures commonly associated with Liaoning and Shandong raise doubts about whether roughly sixty J-15s can support every operational and training demand. Carrier aviation requires spare airframes, aircraft in overhaul, and dedicated training assets in addition to the fighters visible on the flight deck. The published totals do not comfortably satisfy all those categories, so they may be incomplete or may indicate that some ships operate below their quoted capacity. Kuznetsov's intended air group is similarly larger than the force it has often actually deployed.
Notable Point · 41:02-43:58
Carrier capacity reveals the real demand for naval fighters
Comparing Liaoning and Shandong's quoted air-wing capacity with reported J-15 totals illustrates why a carrier force needs aircraft for training, maintenance, and replacement as well as deck loads.