Fascinating question posed by former Defense Tech editor John Reed who now directs the Killer Apps blog for Foreign Policy: Who left the skidmarks on China's brand new aircraft carrier?
The pictures the Chinese government has leaked out from the commissioning ceremony for the the Liaoning aircraft carrier leaves plenty to be determined, namely the origin of those skidmarks. The Chinese have supposedly not yet completed development of their carrier jet, the J-15.
Mockups of the fighter show up on the deck of the carrier and pictures, but reports indicated the J-15 and its pilots still has to make considerable progress before it can start landing successfully on the Liaoning.
As Reed points out, the skidmarks could very well just Chinese sailors driving a tractor on deck and slamming the breaks to provide the intended look. But if not, what could it be?
