The intention of the United States to launch a war in the Asia-Pacific region is becoming increasingly evident. According to reports by U.S. media "Military Watch," the U.S. Air Force will deploy F-35 and F-15E fighters at Kadena Air Base to replace the aging F-15C fighters.

F-35 and F-15E will replace F-15C (screenshot from U.S. media "Military Watch")

F-15E will become the main force for future confrontation

The U.S. Air Force is updating its aircraft stationed in Japan, replacing old models with new-generation fighters, which clearly indicates that the future deployment of more advanced equipment in the Asia-Pacific region is inevitable. The Chinese People's Liberation Army will not be passive either, as the J-20 fighter jets are still accelerating production. Western media has always been highly interested in the production status of the J-20 fighter jets and believes that their production is on the rise, though there are different opinions on the exact numbers.

According to a report by U.S. media "Military Watch" on April 12, 2025, the production scale of the J-20 fighter jets has significantly increased since 2021, especially after switching to the domestically produced WS-10C engine, achieving a breakthrough in production scale. It is estimated that the annual production reaches 100-120 aircraft.

The batch production of J-20 started earlier than expected (screenshot from U.S. media "Military Watch")

By 2025, ten years after the J-20 fighter jets were put into batch production, not only have their performance been upgraded step by step to meet more satisfactory standards, but their production volume has also increased significantly. This can only prove that the Chinese People's Liberation Army knows that time waits for no one! The shadow of war is already looming, and regardless of where the threat comes from, being prepared for battle is essential.

Such a production volume is not low. As quoted by U.S. media "Military Watch," "The J-20 fighter jets have become the backbone of the Chinese Air Force, surpassing the number of fifth-generation fighters equipped by any other military branch in the world." Currently, only the U.S. F-35 fighter jets have a higher annual production rate than the J-20 fighter jets, but they are light fighters. Moreover, the F-35 fighter jets are intended for use by more than a dozen users. Even with an annual production capacity of about 140-150 aircraft, the U.S. Air Force only receives around 40-48 each year. Since the Chinese Air Force is the sole customer for the J-20 fighter jets, it can build its fifth-generation fighter fleet much faster.

The mass production of the J-20, truly "mass production"

Due to the needs of the situation, China must maintain high-speed development. Therefore, the research and production of the J-20 fighter jets are quite fast. In January 2011, the first prototype of the J-20 completed its maiden flight, and it achieved batch production in just over four years, which is less than half the time compared to other contemporary fighters. When the last pre-production prototype of the J-20 made its first flight in November 2015, the first batch production airframe had been working for several months and made its first flight on January 18, 2016, followed by delivery and service entry. By February 2017, the J-20 fighter jets were officially put into service.

Compared to the F-22, F-35, and Su-57, which took 14-15 years from the first demonstration aircraft flight to the establishment of the first complete unit, China's high speed in fifth-generation fighters has successfully narrowed the gap with the United States and put the latter in a considerable predicament.

The accelerated mass production of the J-20 has given us a technical lead

If what the U.S. media says is true, the annual production of J-20 fighter jets exceeding 100 could determine the outcome. This statement is not mere boasting. The U.S. media "Military Watch" claims that the current production scale of the J-20 fighter jets is more than three times that of any other twin-engine fighter jet. Such a high production volume means that new combat units can be rapidly formed, creating an advantage in scale.

Currently, the number of fifth-generation fighters possessed by the Chinese Air Force actually exceeds that of the United States, especially in heavy fifth-generation fighters. Now, the United States can only upgrade to lightweight F-35 fighters, which are at a disadvantage in key performance compared to the J-20 fighter jets. Although the F-22 fighter jets can reach the performance level of the J-20 fighter jets in key areas, their avionics and other systems are at least one generation behind those of the J-20 fighter jets.

The F-35 is a compromise by the United States on cost and production capacity

The U.S. Air Force maintains the largest global scale, but due to the need for global deployment, it results in localized force shortages. Now, U.S. media is vigorously promoting the deployment of new fighters at Kadena Air Base, ostensibly replacing outdated F-15C/D fighters. Originally, F-15EX fighters were planned, but due to production issues, there are currently insufficient quantities. For now, only F-15E fighters are being deployed at Kadena Air Base, seemingly updating frontline bases, but in reality, this is a reluctant move.

The original F-15C/D fighters are no longer capable

The F-15C/D air superiority fighters previously stationed at Kadena Air Base were withdrawn in August 2024. Now, only rotational forces are maintained at Kadena Air Base. The F-35 and F-15E fighters currently rotating in emphasize complementarity between high and low models, but they are difficult to truly complement each other. The F-35 fighter jets are not designed for air superiority and were originally intended to take over tasks from the F-15E model. If they were to confront J-20 fighter jets, the combination of F-35 and F-15E fighters would not gain any advantage. The former does not perform well enough against the J-20 fighter jets, and even U.S. media "Military Watch" pointed out its problems: "limited range, smaller radar size, flight performance limitations, and low efficiency." The latter is even a generation behind and can only be outperformed.

In addition to the J-20, China also has the world's largest fleet of heavy fighters, and the quantity of J-16s cannot be underestimated.

The U.S. Air Force expects the latest F-15EX fighter jets to counter the J-20 fighter jets, but this is merely a dream. The F-15EX fighter jets are further upgrades of the F-15E and are not a new-generation product. Moreover, besides the J-20, China also has the world's largest fleet of heavy fighters, and the quantity of J-16s is even more significant, so there is no need for the J-20 to deal with the F-15EX.

The situation for the U.S. military will inevitably worsen. Not only will the Chinese Air Force have more and more fifth-generation fighters, but it will also equip sixth-generation fighters. Taking the lead initially will ensure continuous leadership in the future. The United States is already in an irreversible disadvantageous position.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7492773008763929100/

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