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It looks like we're following the CSBA's playbook on how to design the military for the future. I disagree with their vision. They gut the Army, emphasize the Air Force, make modifications to the Navy (along with cuts) and take the Marine Corps down in size too.
If we're going to follow that (flawed) strategy, then we need a better plane than the F-35. The J-20 should scare the daylights out of airpower planners. We need a redesigned and upgraded F-22 if we're going to maintain PARITY.
A deep strike/interdiction turned air superiority platform will not cut it.
It's a hell of a lot easier to make a decent strike aircraft out of air-superiority platform than vice-versa. Look at the F-15 vs the Tornado. The F-15E turned out great, while the Tornado ADV was crap. Like the Tornado, the F-35 was developed to be a strike aircraft first. That's why its fancy EOTS points down instead of up. Notice how fighters like the Typhoon, Su-35, and PAK FA have their IRSTs on top looking up? Shows what the priority is.
ReplyDeleteIf the Chinese get serious with the J-20 and develop a strike version (likely) you're going to see the rest of Asia collectively shit their pants.
well said.
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ReplyDeleteSize has nothing to do with radar signature. If sizing would determine RCS, then there is no way a B-2 bomber would have a lower RCS than an F-35 but it does.
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Deletehttp://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1101&MainCatID=11&id=20131213000034
ReplyDelete"However, Major General Zhang Zhaozhong of the PLA Navy told People's Daily that the J-31 was designed mainly for the overseas market rather than for China's own air force and navy.
Zhang stressed that, just like the CAC FC-1 Xiaolong (JF-17 Thunder) multirole fighter designed jointly by China and Pakistan, the J-31 will likely to be provided to Beijing's security partners in the region such as North Korea and Iran."
So China wants to sell J-31 to North Korea and Iran.
Oh that'll be rich. Let's see who gets their fully developed combat ready stealth fighters first, North Korea or South Korea.
DeleteI don't truly believe that China would sell them to the North Koreans because they just might be crazy enough to use them, but I could see them selling the jets to Iran. It's a big matter of how fast they can get them developed and how many would they sell to the Iranians that would determine the impact they would have in the region.
Andrew Robertson
Delete> Let's see who gets their fully developed combat ready stealth fighters first, North Korea or South Korea.
The answer may shockingly be North Korea because the export grade F-35 is merely a LO jet, not a stealth jet. Inside sources confirm the Silent Eagle did match the export grade F-35's frontal-aspect RCS, but there were side-aspect and bottom-aspect RCS to consider when doing penetrative missions on Kim Jong Un's palaces and nuclear weapons depot. The ROK may demand the US to improve the RCS of its F-35s from the current 0.15 m2 level once the KFX with a reported RCS of 0.01 m2 class enters service in the 2020s, but not until then,
China may not have such an export technology control policy like the US and sell the full spec J-31s to North Korea, especially as a retaliation if the US sells the F-35 to Taiwan.
Slowman, China hasn't given or sold weapons to North Korea since the 1980s.....
DeleteIn fact, weapons to North Korea were recently SANCTIONED by China
And North Korea can't afford ANY aircraft now.