The L-15 was developed by Hongdu (formerly Nanchang) with assistance from the Yakovlev design bureau, and the type bears a close resemblance to the Yak-130 that also spawned the M-346. The aircraft can carry a range of weapons and drop tanks on four underwing pylons, a PC-2AI gun pod on the centerline, and PL-5E or similar air-to-air missiles on wingtip launch rails. Power in the initial versions comes from a pair of Ukrainian Ivchenko-Progress AI-222K-25 or afterburning AI-222K-5F turbofans, but a Chinese engine developed by Guizhou has also been tested. The aircraft boasts features such as an embedded training system, a three-screen cockpit, and a multi-mode radar. In 2017 Hongdu unveiled a dedicated attack version known as the L-15B.
Production so far has been on a small scale for domestic production, the type being designated JL-10 in China. The type serves in small numbers with both the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and Navy. CATIC has marketed the type for some years and, fittingly, showed the aircraft at the 2021 Dubai Airshow. To date, the only confirmed export customer is Zambia, which ordered six in 2012. Delivered in the L-15 ATF (attack/fighter/trainer) configuration and designated L-15Z, the first aircraft arrived in the African country in 2016.