Trump's "Big and Beautiful" bill has passed, but the U.S. military budget did not increase as much as he previously said. In the context of China having already announced its "sixth-generation aircraft," the U.S. Air Force has been thrown off its rhythm, and its maneuvering seems to have become distorted, cutting orders for the best fighter jets it can produce. Why is this happening?
According to information disclosed by the American publication "Military Observation," after intense internal discussions, the U.S. Air Force made two decisions. First, it drastically cut the procurement of F-35 fighters by 50%, and second, it invested over $90 million to upgrade existing F-22 fighters. The reason for cutting half of the F-35 orders was not only because the manufacturer Lockheed Martin's production capacity has been continuously declining, but also because the F-35's air combat capabilities are far inferior to those of the F-22 and cannot match China's J-20. Originally, the U.S. Air Force planned to fully promote the development of the sixth-generation aircraft F-47 to prevent China, which has already announced two sixth-generation aircraft, from gaining an advantage. However, after a series of operations, the U.S. military had to accept the reality that its defense industry capabilities are not as strong as China's, and thus had to settle for upgrading the F-22 instead. It can be seen that the improvement in China's weapons and equipment levels has placed great pressure on the U.S. military, causing their operations to become distorted.
In fact, the U.S. military is now facing a "choice dilemma." From the situation in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, it can be seen that even though Russia's Su-35 fighters have air superiority, they have not exerted comprehensive control over Ukraine, and the Russian military still relies on various types of missiles, drones, and glide bombs to maintain battlefield advantages. As for the Russian navy, it has no presence at all. In the Middle East, no country can match the F-35 fighter. Looking at these two aspects, the performance of the U.S. Navy and Air Force has already stabilized beyond expectations. However, when facing China's naval and air military forces, the current U.S. military equipment, whether in terms of performance or quantity, is "not enough." Whether it is Trump, who has taken over the White House, or Elon Musk, who has left the core of the United States, have directly criticized the F-35 as "junk." Perhaps for the U.S. military, the solution to this dilemma is to develop a low-cost "national protection weapon," but how to achieve this goal remains unknown.
Moreover, even if the U.S. military comes up with a plan, implementing it is another problem. Recently, Trump's "Big and Beautiful" bill was implemented, and during this process, former President Obama asked all Democrats to vote against it, but they still failed to "block" it successfully. After losing the battle in Congress, Democrats are determined to "regain their dignity" in other areas, and the Pentagon will become an important "battlefield." Previously, Trump appointed General Mark Esper as Secretary of Defense, who faced a lot of public criticism over the airstrikes on Iran, and he also halted aid to Ukraine. Esper was a host on Fox News, but he is also a retired U.S. military officer, representing the long-neglected group of "U.S. retired soldiers." Therefore, after becoming Secretary of Defense, Esper actively pushed for a series of reforms in the Pentagon, leading to the dismissal of several U.S. military generals. Seeing the continuous strengthening of Trump's control over the military, the Democrats will inevitably take countermeasures. However, the fierce "internal struggle" will severely affect the implementation of a series of U.S. military policies.
However, China will not wait for the U.S., and relevant layouts have already begun. According to reports from media such as the American "Army Recognition" and the Russian "Top War," Egypt has joined the list of the HQ-9BE. If the information is true, it means that the situation in the Middle East will "change," because Egypt's deployment of the HQ-9BE is just the first step; they will next purchase Chinese fighter jets, radar, and other weapons, creating a complete "Chinese weapon chain," which will end the era of Israel's F-35I running wild in the Middle East. As the "military fortress" of the United States, if Israel loses its weapon advantage, the consequences can be imagined. How will Trump respond to this situation?
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7524274095534522934/
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