Dubai Airshow: L-15 Falcon swoops in for the first time

The L-15 is a supersonic training and light-attack aircraft broadly comparable to the Leonardo M346 Master, though one version of the Chinese aircraft has afterburning engines. Like the M346, the L-15 has significant DNA from the Yak-130, and both aircraft were developed with assistance from Russia’s Yakovlev OKB.

The L-15 designation applies to export variants of the jet trainer, Chinese versions using the Chinese designation JL-10.

Zambia is, so far, the only export customer for the type, though Uruguay and Venezuela have reportedly expressed an interest in the aircraft.
Both export and Chinese aircraft incorporate a number of advanced features, including a modern NVG compatible glass cockpit, HOTAS controls, and a three-axis quadruplex digital FBW flight control system. Some versions incorporate radar, holographic head up displays and even afterburning engines.

Dubai represents the first opportunity for the Chinese defence aviation sector to exhibit its products internationally since the Covid-19 pandemic, and reflects the growing importance that China attaches to the Middle East market.