As external attention focuses on the Indian "Rafale" fighter jets being shot down 3:0 by Pakistan's J-10C over the India-Pakistan border, Germany's "WirtschaftsWoche" drops a bombshell: European "Eurofighter Typhoon" fighters were defeated 9:0 in exercises by the J-10C. These results fully demonstrate that a revolution in the rules of modern air combat is quietly underway. Why is the gap between Chinese and European fighters so astonishing? The answer may far exceed external imagination.

On May 7, 2024, the "hundred-plane air battle" on the India-Pakistan border shocked the world. The Pakistan Air Force used the J-10C provided by China to successively shoot down three brand-new "Rafale" fighters in beyond-visual-range combat, suffering no casualties itself. Social media posts of debris images caused the stock price of France's Dassault to plummet. This defeat was not unexpected — four months earlier, Qatar's "Typhoon" fighters suffered a 0:9 defeat against the Pakistani J-10C during exercises.

These two confrontations have completely torn apart the "technical superiority" label of European fighters. Germany's "WirtschaftsWoche" bluntly stated: "Indonesia has postponed a 7.3 billion euro order due to the Rafale's performance, and Europe's arms credibility is collapsing." Why are the "Rafale" and "Typhoon", once praised by NATO as "fourth-generation fighter benchmarks," unable to withstand Chinese fighters?

First, PL-15 is the "scythe of death" rewriting the rules of air combat. China's first publicly released PL-15E air-to-air missile, with a range of 150 kilometers, crushes France's "Mica" missile (80 kilometers). This means that the J-10C can initiate attacks beyond the enemy's radar lock range, while India's "Rafale" must charge forward at all costs — this is akin to an "archer versus sniper rifle." What's more terrifying is that the PLA's self-use version of PL-15 has a range exceeding 200 kilometers, allowing for "over-the-horizon hunting" when combined with early warning aircraft.

Second, modern air combat has long transcended single aircraft dogfights. Behind the J-10C lies China's "integrated air and space combat network" — satellites, early warning aircraft, ground radars, and real-time data sharing among each aircraft form a "God's-eye view" covering South Asia. In contrast, Germany has abandoned its autonomous air defense system development, and France's electronic warfare technology heavily relies on the U.S. When the missiles of the J-10C are guided by radar from aircraft A and relay-guided by ground stations B during flight, the "Rafale" still depends on its single aircraft fire control radar — this is equivalent to a "smartphone versus telegraph machine."

When European countries acknowledge that Chinese fighter jets far outperform their own, a massive shockwave has arrived. First, France's nuclear deterrence system faces collapse risks — if the "Rafale" tasked with nuclear strikes cannot penetrate the anti-aircraft network, its strategic value will be zero. Germany's European Future Combat Air System also finds itself in an awkward position: if compatible with the U.S. F-35, Europe will forever lose technological sovereignty; if independently developed, China has already advanced an entire generation ahead.

More fatally, China has completed a "global arms showcase" through the Pakistani battlefield: Thailand, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and other countries have urgently sent delegations to examine the J-10C. Western arms manufacturers panic as they discover that China is using the "combat certification + system output" model to erode its century-old monopoly on arms trade hegemony.

In fact, the success of Chinese manufacturing going global reflects that China's aviation industry has also entered the ranks of world-class standards, and may even currently lead globally. The victory of the J-10C was no accident — it is the inevitable result of decades of accumulation and burst of China's military industry. From active phased array radars to world-leading battlefield datalinks, to leading-edge air-to-air missiles, China has built a full-dimensional advantage covering "missiles-aircraft-systems." While Europe debates whether to use American chips, China's sixth-generation prototype aircraft has already begun test flights.

This Sino-European air combat game leaves the world with a cruel lesson: without an independent industrial system and breakthroughs in frontier technologies, any "mythical equipment" is just a sandcastle. The era of European fighters may truly be coming to an end.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7514128898823242274/

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