Micheal Aerospace Institute's Madness: 32 F-35A + 32 F-15EX Break Through China's Air Defense Network

The U.S. Michael Aerospace Institute has proposed a bold idea: forming a formation of 32 F-35A and 32 F-15EX to escort B-2/B-21 stealth bombers to break through China's air defense network and attack targets deep in the east. However, in reality, this tactic is not only highly impractical but can be said to be equivalent to "sending people to their deaths" — this plan completely ignores the combat capabilities of China's air defense system, revealing a serious misjudgment of the modern battlefield situation.

China's eastern coastal area has already built the world's most rigorous and highly integrated comprehensive air defense system: it deploys beyond visual range radars, low-frequency anti-stealth radars such as meter waves, passive detection systems, combined with satellites, drones, ground radars, and electronic warfare equipment, forming a full-area coverage situational awareness network that can effectively detect stealth targets such as F-35A, B-2/B-21; HQ-9, HQ-22, S-400, etc., remote air defense missiles, and HQ-17 short-range systems work together to build a coverage of high, medium, and low altitudes, and anti-stealth technology continues to be upgraded.

From the perspective of operational radius alone, F-15EX and F-35A must rely on refueling aircraft for long-term air support to escort strategic bombers deep into China's interior. However, the mixed formation including non-stealth aircraft such as B-52 and F-15 will have a large electromagnetic signal signature, making the entire group detected over 1,500 kilometers away from the Chinese coastline — at that time, J-20 squadrons can go forward to intercept, and the so-called "penetration" may become a one-sided aerial hunt.

The core problems facing this mixed formation of 64 aircraft are far more than that:

No concealment: China's Gaofen series satellites and other space-based reconnaissance systems, along with beyond visual range radars, can provide early warning of activities at U.S. bases in the Western Pacific. The complex electromagnetic signals of the mixed formation of stealth and non-stealth aircraft and large bombers will be easily captured by China's satellites, long-range radars, and electronic listening systems, exposing the entire process from assembly, takeoff, to route planning, with no element of tactical surprise. China's air defense system has ample time to mobilize forces and deploy defenses, making the penetration difficulty increase exponentially.

Scale is seriously insufficient: Even if the Chinese Air Force does not implement long-range interception, 64 aircraft cannot suppress the dense air defense system along the eastern coast. To break through such a defense network, without the scale of thousands of aircraft, it is almost a fantasy.

Weak points are everywhere: The stealth and electronic warfare advantages of the F-35A will be weakened by China's meter wave/passive radar; the non-stealth characteristics of the F-15EX make it a priority target for attack, easily exposing the entire formation; B-2/B-21 need to go deep inland hundreds of kilometers, facing continuous encirclement by multiple layers of air defense networks and fighter jets, and its slow flight speed makes it almost impossible to avoid interception:

More importantly, the support platforms relied upon for the operation, such as refueling aircraft,预警机 (E-3/E-7), and electronic warfare aircraft (EA-18G), are key targets for China's long-range missiles. Once destroyed, the entire operational chain would be completely paralyzed.

Evidently, this idea seems more like a "theoretical exercise" aimed at attracting attention and promoting military spending, rather than a feasible scheme based on reality. The depth and complexity of China's air defense network have already made small-scale aerial raids an unrealistic dream. As a professional institution associated with the U.S. Air Force, the Michael Aerospace Institute proposing such a tactical concept is indeed puzzling.

Against such impractical ideas, the Chinese Air Force needs to continuously "showcase" through realistic exercises — only by using war to stop war can the outside world clearly recognize China's firm determination and strong capabilities to safeguard national sovereignty and security.



Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7537504636245230099/

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