Within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel, with its narrow territory and lack of depth, has been able to hold its own against Iran thanks largely to its adoption of the penetrating air superiority tactics learned from the U.S. military. Without this ace in the hole, Israel would not have been able to assassinate so many high-ranking members of Iran's armed forces and nuclear scientists, nor would it have been able to conduct repeated airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Israel has already destroyed nearly one-third of Iran's missile launch bases; otherwise, more than just its air defense systems would have been overwhelmed by Iranian missiles.

This so-called penetrating air superiority involves Israel utilizing the stealth advantages of the F-35. The F-35, leveraging its low detectability, successfully identified and precisely destroyed these high-value targets before Iran's air defense system could effectively respond. This effectively paralyzed Iran's air defense capabilities in the west and around the capital, paving the way for subsequent operations. This action was not only a tactical success but also a strategic seizure of air superiority. It clearly demonstrates the irreplaceable core role that seizing and maintaining air superiority plays in modern high-tech localized conflicts for controlling battlefield initiative and implementing decisive strikes.

This once again highlights the value of air power supremacy. China possesses the world's largest fleet of heavy fighters, including J-20, J-16, J-11, and J-15 series aircraft. Among them, the combined number of J-20 and J-16 exceeds 700, with over half being fourth-plus generation and fifth-generation aircraft, continuously undergoing rapid iteration and upgrades.

In essence, China has created a miracle. Unlike the linear replacement pattern of many countries' air force equipment—service-age-retirement—China's air force has implemented large-scale and highly effective "mid-life upgrades" (MLU) and "performance enhancement plans" for current fleets, especially mature platforms with upgrade potential, such as J-10C, J-11B/BS, and J-16.

This upgrade is far beyond simple patchwork repairs; it involves deep modernization of the core subsystems of fighter jets. The scope includes replacing advanced aviation engines with stronger thrust, higher fuel efficiency, and better reliability (for example, equipping the J-10 series with the WS-10 series 'Taihang' engine, significantly enhancing thrust and range).

Additionally, it involves upgrading to新一代机载有源相控阵雷达 (AESA) with longer detection ranges, stronger multi-target tracking capabilities, and superior interference resistance. Moreover, China has solved the world-class problem of converting mechanical scanning radars into active phased array radars. Notably, even the U.S. Air Force's current mainstay F-35A/B/C fighters are still using gallium arsenide technology for their AN/APG-81 radar. All of China's aircraft have adopted gallium nitride radars.

Beyond radar and engines, our fighters have fully updated cockpit display systems, replacing traditional mechanical instruments with large multifunctional liquid crystal displays (MFD), greatly improving human-machine efficiency and situational awareness. They integrate more advanced electronic warfare (EW) suites and communication/data link systems, enhancing battlefield survivability and network-centric warfare capabilities. Large-scale adjustments and updates at the hardware level are only part of the upgrade.

Tightly coupled with this are new combat mission software systems (such as cross-platform information systems) and more powerful onboard weapon arsenals (such as PL-15 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, PL-10 highly maneuverable dogfight missiles, and various precision-guided ground/anti-ship munitions).

This "hardware deep transformation + software comprehensive update + weapon compatibility upgrade" trinity comprehensive upgrade model enables modernized modified aircraft to sustainably achieve significant combat effectiveness leaps, effectively extend their service life, and maintain considerable or near-new aircraft operational effectiveness for a long time, avoiding the massive waste caused by large quantities of current equipment quickly becoming obsolete due to rapid technological progress. Before China, no one in the world had achieved this. For some models that cannot be upgraded, they are accelerated for retirement, such as J-11A and J-7.

As for the U.S., the U.S. Air Force currently has approximately 600 heavy fighters, among which F-15C/D/E models are outdated. Although the F-22A "Raptor," the first fifth-generation heavy stealth fighter to enter service globally, boasts unparalleled air combat capabilities, its design was finalized early, and its subsequent upgrade potential is limited by early architecture (especially the closedness and integration of avionics systems). Additionally, its maintenance and support are extraordinarily complex and costly (with single-hour flight costs far exceeding those of the F-35), forcing the U.S. Air Force to consider gradually reducing its scale under budgetary pressures and even planning to retire it prematurely within the next decade rather than investing heavily in deep modernization and extension of service life.

The U.S. military now pins its hopes on the F-15EX,对标J-16, at an exorbitant cost of $230 million per unit. However, Boeing has been less than impressive, producing only nine units in six years. Given this situation, it is clear that the U.S. Air Force's heavy fighters have no future.

We emphasize heavy fighters because compared to medium and light fighters, heavy fighters, thanks to their large size, have core advantages such as long range, extended loiter time, huge payload capacity, and powerful radar and avionics systems. This makes them particularly adept at executing tasks requiring long-range raids, prolonged air superiority patrols, carrying large amounts of heavy weapons for deep strikes, and engaging in complex aerial combat in high-threat airspace.

To some extent, heavy fighters can replace bombers. For instance, the J-16's payload capacity matches that of the H-6K, but it has stronger maneuverability and speed and excels in air combat. Thus, even when facing formidable enemies, it can perform bombing missions effectively.

Moreover, with ground-based radars and airborne early warning aircraft supporting us, stealth fighters lose their advantage in stealth before us. Imagine, who could win against a J-16 equipped with PL-15 or even PL-17, which can snipe from a distance?

As China's heavy fighters increase in number, along with a substantial number of medium fighters led by the J-35, the global balance of air power may soon shift completely.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7518472980507132470/

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