China's J-15 Fighter Jet Crashes During Training

A Chinese J-15 fighter jet from the People's Liberation Army Navy crashed during a training session on March 15.

The incident occurred around 13:30 near Jialai Town, Lingao County, Hainan Province.

According to reports from the Southern Theater Command Navy, the pilot successfully ejected and parachuted to safety, and no collateral damage was caused on the ground.

The aircraft, which was in a slow descent with its landing gear extended, crashed in an open area.

Early footage suggests the plane was in a nose-down, tail-up position, indicating the accident might have occurred during landing. The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation.

The J-15 is a carrier-based fighter jet developed by China, which was reverse-engineered from an unfinished prototype of the Russian Su-33 fighter jet that China acquired from Ukraine in 2001.

The incident is currently being handled by the Southern Theater Command Navy, and further investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of the crash.