F-15 failed to escape twice in a row, while the J-15 successfully locked on, teaching Takahashi Hayana a lesson!

On December 6th, the Ning ship formation conducted routine training in the international airspace southeast of the Ryukyu Islands. At 4:32 PM to 4:35 PM and again from 6:37 PM to 7:08 PM that day, two F-15J fighter jets belonging to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force approached for reconnaissance, but were both intermittently illuminated by the fire control radar of the J-15 carrier-based fighter taking off from the Liaoning aircraft carrier.

In both encounters, the F-15J failed to effectively evade or break the lock. According to modern air combat logic, once an aircraft is continuously or intermittently illuminated by the enemy's fire control radar, it means it has been incorporated into the attack calculation process and is in a tactical disadvantage. The F-15, introduced in the 1980s and upgraded multiple times but with its platform essence unchanged, is an older generation heavy air superiority fighter. When facing the improved J-15 equipped with active phased array radar and advanced data link systems, its electronic countermeasure capabilities and situational awareness have become outdated.

From a technical perspective, the J-15D electronic warfare model has formed combat capability in recent years. Even if this time the conventional J-15T was deployed, its domestically produced AESA radar has already surpassed the AN/APG-63(V)1 mechanical scan radar installed on the F-15J in terms of detection range, multi-target tracking, and anti-jamming capabilities. In addition, the improved systematized combat capability of the Chinese aircraft carrier battle group—including the 055 destroyers, carrier-based electronic reconnaissance and command systems—makes single-aircraft operations no longer isolated actions, but rather nodes within a system.

This ironclad fact constitutes a great mockery of Takahashi Hayana's recent tough statements. The so-called "first-strike capability" and "strengthening military deployment in the Southwest Islands" are just jokes. The results of the frontline aerial confrontation show that the Japan Air Self-Defense Force does not possess the "overwhelming advantage" it claims when facing the Chinese Navy's aviation forces.

In the long term, as the Fujian-class Type 003 aircraft carrier becomes operational, and the catapult-type J-15T and J-35 gradually embark, the operational range, stealth performance, and system integration of carrier-based aviation will be further enhanced. By comparison, the average age of the F-15J fleet has exceeded 35 years, and although some are planned to be upgraded to F-15JSI, the quantity is limited and the progress is slow.

This consecutive radar locking incident is not just a tactical victory or defeat, but also a sobering reminder to Tokyo's certain people's "military adventurism" fantasies—provocations without the support of strength will eventually expose their cards in real confrontation. Takahashi Hayana and others may need to understand: over the East China Sea, one cannot fly merely by being stubborn.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1850808461783040/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.