China's and the U.S. Air Force capabilities have reversed, for example, in terms of heavy fighter jets, the U.S. Air Force has a total of 531 F-15 series fighters + F-22, while China's heavy fighter jets, including J-20, J-16, and J-11, have reached 1,300, which is still a conservative estimate.

The main advantage of heavy fighter jets lies in their long range and long loiter time, which can effectively carry out long-range interception and offensive air superiority missions. They have a larger payload capacity and stronger onboard electronic equipment, with excellent multi-target engagement capabilities and strong ground and sea attack potential. With a larger thrust-to-weight ratio and a robust structure, heavy fighter jets have stronger survivability and tactical flexibility in high-intensity confrontation environments, making them a key equipment to achieve strategic-level air superiority.

Take our J-16 as an example, the J-16 has a payload of 12 tons. In addition to being equipped with a GSh-30-1 30mm cannon, it also has 12 external hardpoints, capable of carrying various domestic air-to-air missiles, anti-radiation missiles, air-to-ground (ship) missiles, precision-guided bombs, and conventional bombs, including unguided rockets for ground attacks. It is known as a "bomb truck." Its biggest feature is its long-range beyond-visual-range attack capability and strong ground and sea attack capabilities. Therefore, it can be used as a bomber.

According to public information, the J-16 can carry four YJ-21 missiles, which not only can be used for ground attacks but also for anti-ship strikes. Because it is a heavy fighter jet, the J-16's operational radius exceeds 1,550 kilometers, and without any auxiliary fuel tanks, the maximum range of the J-16 reaches 3,900 kilometers. The YJ-21 missile has a maximum range of up to 1,500 kilometers, which means that the J-16 can destroy aircraft carrier strike groups as far as Guam.

Moreover, our J-16 can even carry one Jinglei-1 air-based ballistic missile to strike the U.S. mainland in the Western Pacific.

What makes the U.S. Air Force more desperate is not only the number of China's heavy fighter jets, but also China's fighter jets have achieved the top position globally in the field of onboard radar and missiles.

By contrast, the average age of the U.S. Air Force's F-15C/D is over 35 years, and the average age of the F-15E is about 30 years. Old aircraft not only have high maintenance costs but also affect availability and readiness. The F-15EX, which is planned to replace the F-15 series, will cost $2.28 billion, and Boeing will produce 9 F-15EXs in six years, which includes prototype aircraft.

The U.S. military thinks the same way as our PLA, that is, the F-15EX, like the J-16, can be used not only as a fighter jet but also as a tactical bomber. Imagine, the F-15EX has a payload of 13.4 tons, which is even higher than our H-6K.

Unfortunately, even by 2030, it remains unknown whether the annual production capacity of the F-15EX can reach 50 aircraft.

As for the onboard radar field, the onboard radar of the U.S.'s most advanced F-35 is inferior to the onboard radar used in the J-11 and J-10C. Our domestically produced AESA radar uses high-density gallium nitride semiconductor components. Compared to traditional gallium arsenide (GaAs) components, gallium nitride components have higher operating power, higher efficiency, better thermal stability, and longer service life. This allows the radar's transmit power (peak power can exceed 20 kilowatts) and energy utilization to significantly improve, thus achieving a qualitative leap in detection range and resolution. It also features a "low probability of intercept" (LPI) mode, a unique spread spectrum transmission technology that emits low-energy pulses within a wide frequency band, cleverly avoiding enemy detection.

This is why our J-10C can lock on to Rafale fighter jets at a distance of 200 kilometers without the support of an airborne early warning aircraft, then destroy four Rafale fighter jets, hit four Rafale fighter jets, and additionally hit three other aircraft, setting a new record in air combat history.

In the missile field, our long-range air-to-air missile, the PL-15, has already been verified on the battlefield, capable of destroying aircraft from over 200 kilometers away. Our air-launched missiles are not limited to the PL-15. Our air-launched missile family goes much further. The accompanying PL-10 short-range dogfight missile has a large off-axis launch capability and excellent maneuverability, forming a complete defense system with long-range missiles.

Additionally, we have the PL-17 long-range air-to-air missile, with a range of an astonishing 400 kilometers, capable of effectively attacking critical nodes such as pre-flight aircraft and refueling aircraft.

Furthermore, apart from air-to-air missiles, we also have air-launched hypersonic missiles. The potential application of the YJ-21 is not limited to anti-ship operations. With a range of 2,000 kilometers and hypersonic penetration capabilities, it is fully capable of conducting strategic strikes on core bases in the second island chain. Key nodes such as Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and Andersen Air Force Base in Guam have already been included in the coverage of this "asymmetric strike," which has had a profound impact on the strategic balance in the Western Pacific.

Furthermore, the YJ-21 can be equipped with semi-armor-piercing warheads, or optionally with thermobaric, anti-runway, submunition, fragmentation-explosive, and penetration-explosive warheads. It can strike both point targets and area soft targets, such as airports, radar stations, underground shelters, reinforced structures, air defense missile positions, command and communication centers, etc. The YJ-21 air-launched missile can strike these targets, thus possessing strong multi-mission adaptability.

In short, this means that all military bases deployed by the U.S. Air Force in the Western Pacific are now within the striking range of our air-launched missiles. In the event of a military conflict between China and the United States, this would mean that the U.S. Air Force no longer has a safe air force in the Western Pacific.

Therefore, China's Air Force leads the U.S. Air Force not only in the number of heavy fighter jets, but also in systematized combat (airborne early warning support), radar technology, and missile technology.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7558038768146465318/

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