Recently, many keen military observers have noted that the J-15 shown on CCTV news is coated in a sea-grey paint finish, and carries the navy flag under the rear part of the cabin. There is speculation that this may be the model released for mass production. Military expert Yin Zhuo said in an interview that the full service life of the J-15 would be around 25 to 30 years, and that its performance would be stable once mass production commenced.

The J-15 (Flying Shark) is a heavy carrier-based fighter. It has been developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation on the basis of the earlier J-11 fighter.

The first test flight of the J-15 took place in August 2009. On November 25th 2012, the pilot Dai Mingmeng, achieved a successful take-off and landing on the aircraft carrier "Liaoning" in J-15 No. 552, and the mysterious "Flying Shark" was finally unveiled.

In 2013, the "Liaoning" has made several experimental and training voyages, and the J-15 has made a series of take-offs and landings. According to reports, training in the risky ski-jump take-off armed with missiles will be introduced in the near future.

As for whether J-15 is now in mass production, Yin Zhuo said that there was no official news to confirm this speculation. But the navy paint finish on the J-15 indicates that it is now in formal service. The 5 aircraft previously observed landing on the Liaoning were yellow, which meant that they were test aircraft under research and development, and not yet fully-commissioned. These were handed over to the navy after being ratified as battle-ready, and were then repainted in a navy finish.

According to Yin Zhuo, online speculation is logical based on the facts that J-15 is already in service, and its technology is mature enough for mass production.

Yin Zhuo said that the full service life of the J-15 would be about 25 to 30 years. The fact that the J-15 and its variants are now regularly seen in flight, and taking off and landing on aircraft carriers, indicates that it will not be subject to any further major modifications. Once mass production is under way the aircraft design will be fixed other than in terms of possible changes to radar and electronic communication systems, or modernization of the engine after 10 to 15 years of service. However, the profile, basic finish, and performance standards of the aircraft have been established.