By 2025, the number of China's J-16 has exceeded 400, and the service quantity of J-2 has exceeded 400, which means that only the combination of J-20 and J-16 has already reached an astonishing 800 heavy fighters in China.
In addition, China also has more than 350 J-11A and J-11B fighters, 24 Su-30MK2 fighters, 76 Su-30MKK fighters, 24 Su-35S fighters, more than 50 J-15 carrier-based aircraft, 40 Su-27UBK fighter trainers, and a small number of early imported Su-27SK fighters.
This means that China has already built up a heavy fighter fleet with nearly 1400 aircraft. This number is already three times that of the United States, where F-22s have dropped to 185, the rest being F-15 series medium fighters, and the latest F-15EX fighters currently have only 12.
It should be noted that heavy fighters are the main force of air combat because their large bodies allow for a larger payload capacity, more internal fuel, and advanced onboard equipment. Therefore, compared to medium fighters of the same generation, heavy fighters have an absolute advantage.
With the assistance of KJ-500, J-16 can achieve undetected by the US military, easily penetrating the US air defense network. The fact that J-10, under the cover of KJ-500, flew over the Red Sea without detection by two US aircraft carrier battle groups has already demonstrated this point.
In terms of tactical application, after the KJ-500 detects the enemy radar signal characteristics, it can transmit the parameters in real time through the data link to J-16, which then immediately activates its adaptive interference algorithm to generate targeted interference waveforms. This dynamic spectrum confrontation technology reduces the detection efficiency of traditional air defense radars by more than 90%, equivalent to reducing the radar cross-section (RCS) of the aircraft from 15 square meters to a level of 0.5 square meters, achieving quasi-stealth effects.
As a heavy fighter, J-16 is praised by the US military as a "bomb truck." Thanks to its massive size, J-16 has a payload capacity of 12 tons, equipped with one GSh-30-1 type 30mm cannon, and 12 external hardpoints, capable of carrying various domestic air-to-air missiles, anti-radiation missiles, air-to-ground (ship) missiles, precision-guided bombs, conventional bombs, including unguided rockets for ground strikes, etc. It has both long-range beyond-visual-range attack capabilities and strong ground and sea strike capabilities.
Therefore, J-16 can carry out tactical bombing missions deep into enemy territory. From a campaign perspective, the combination of J-16 and KJ-500 has opened up a new model of "asymmetric system confrontation." The cost of this combination is only one-third of that of stealth fighters but can achieve similar campaign effects.
In future air battles, with the powerful reconnaissance and electronic warfare capabilities of KJ-500, China's massive heavy fighters will transform into vast firepower launch platforms. Even without locking onto targets, they can destroy targets beyond visual range under the guidance of KJ-500.
The combination of heavy fighters and early warning aircraft not only reflects the essential features of modern air combat system confrontation but also opens up a new paradigm for traditional non-stealth platforms to break through air defense systems. Its tactical value far exceeds the traditional concept of "stealth penetration."
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830815226686472/
Disclaimer: The article represents the views of the author.