STOBAR carrier tradeoffs shape the J-15

China acquired a Soviet-style carrier whose ski jump could launch heavy fighters for fleet air defence but constrained fuel and weapons loads. Unlike a catapult, the ski jump cannot add enough energy to free a heavily loaded aircraft from the limits of its own thrust and available deck run. The aircraft still needs a strong airframe because arrested recovery brings it to a stop under severe loads. STOBAR therefore combines takeoff-weight restrictions with the structural penalty of carrier landings, making it much less flexible for strike missions than for local air defence. That configuration matched China's early need for organic fleet air defence in the East and South China seas, while later carrier procurement points farther afield.