The real capabilities of European fighters? The catastrophic conflict between China-designed and Pakistan-manufactured J-10 fighters has raised doubts about the performance of Europe's Rafale fighter jets and Eurofighter Typhoons. In fact, before the actual combat by Pakistan, the J-10 had already defeated the Typhoon fighter in air combat exercises!

This is one of the largest-scale air battles in history, taking place early on April 29th at the border between Pakistan and India. More than a hundred fighters launched missiles at each other. Within an hour. According to the Pakistani government, no aircraft entered the other's airspace during this attack. As a result, the reputation of European arms manufacturers collapsed completely.

China's modern fighter jets (the J-10C purchased by Pakistan) faced off for the first time in a real air battle with European planes: India had just bought Dassault Rafale fighters manufactured in France. The outcome was that three brand-new Rafale aircraft were apparently shot down on the Indian side, at least one of which was reportedly brought down by a J-10C. There were no casualties on the Pakistani side. In the days following, social media was flooded with ridicule directed at European and Indian fighters. Influential creators celebrated the fact that China's fighters outperformed Europe's most important fighter jets.

The mighty posture of the J-10 in the sky

"This is having an impact! Since then, the agreement between Indonesia and France has failed to materialize." Germany's Wirtschaftswoche revealed on the 22nd.

In fact, this Southeast Asian country originally intended to purchase a total of 42 Rafale fighters for 7.3 billion euros. Now, according to media reports, Jakarta is expressing doubt over the performance of French technology. Ultimately, American systems may win this competition - Europe had hoped to become more independent of American systems and earn revenue from selling weapons abroad.

Report from Germany's Wirtschaftswoche

As early as January 2024, the Eurofighter Typhoon manufactured by Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo had already been defeated by China's J-10C in an air combat exercise. At that time, Pakistan's Chinese J-10C fighter jets conducted exercises with Qatar's Eurofighter Typhoons.

The result was that in four beyond-visual-range engagements and five close-combat encounters, the J-10C won 9-0!!!

These two incidents further confirmed the views of experts: today's air combat is no longer just a contest between fighters and pilots. The Rafale fighter jets and European fighters are considered among the most agile jet aircraft in the world. They were designed as air superiority fighters. However, today, technological interconnectivity often brings changes. Experts talk about what they call the "combat cloud." And this is where German and French manufacturers fall behind. Additionally, India's fighters appear to be under-equipped.

Indian Air Force personnel standing in front of a Rafale fighter jet

In addition, China's new PL-15 air-to-air missile made its debut in the Indo-Pakistani air battle. "It seems capable of covering great distances," said a German expert in air combat and air defense. It is reported that the Pakistani version, PL-15E, has a range of approximately 150 kilometers, while the version used by the Chinese military has a range of up to 300 to 500 kilometers. This means that fighters can be attacked from far beyond visual range.

On the other hand, it is speculated that India's Rafale fighters are equipped with Mica missiles, even in their top versions, with a maximum range of only 80 kilometers. "This forces jets into dangerous areas," experts explained. This creates an imbalance: one Rafale fighter might be able to target only one Pakistani aircraft, but it could also be targeted by multiple enemy aircraft simultaneously.

Not long after the Indian aircraft were shot down, Chinese state television published a report showcasing the fully automated production line of the PL-15. A coincidence? Of course not. This can also be seen as a signal of pride.

European Eurofighter Typhoon

Western analysts have long speculated about the range of the PL-15 missile, but this is clearly not the only advantage of Chinese aircraft. There are signs that China's air combat technology is much more networked than Europe's. Every jet, every missile, and every radar appears to be part of an integrated cluster that fuses data from different sources to create a battlefield overview. And its coverage extends across much of northwest India and most of Pakistan.

Especially at long distances, air-to-air missiles like the PL-15 may need to be handed off from one fire control radar to another. They can be on the ground or on another fighter. One thing is clear: "For such things, you need extended datalink capabilities," commented a German scientist specializing in fighter technology.

The built-in radar of the missile, due to its small cross-section, has a short detection range and only activates in the final few seconds to hit the target. Prior to that, the missile will be controlled by external fire control radars. Another air combat expert warned: "We should not underestimate the Chinese."

PL-15

In Europe, the issue of true networking has long been overlooked. For example, the tactical air defense system led by MBDA, a subsidiary of Airbus, has been abandoned by the German Air Force. Now, the very valuable deep networking with fighters, satellites, drones, missiles, and aerial reconnaissance aircraft is at the core of this system.

In recent years, Europe has virtually handed over complex electronic warfare to the United States. This includes software and databases for distinguishing our own missiles from enemy missiles and real missiles from decoys. Although Europe has the Meteor air-to-air missile as a strong competitor to the PL-15, it may ultimately not match China's networking technology.

It remains unclear what kind of network technology and electronic warfare elements Pakistan used. Investigating this situation should now become the top priority for France and Germany's foreign intelligence agencies, DGSE and BND. At least there is an increased chance of gaining some knowledge. India found that at least one PL-15 was almost undamaged. Their electronics are now not only of interest to India.

Comparison of J-10 and Rafale fighter jet data by foreign media

Many experts are clear that Germany and Europe urgently need to rethink. Networking is indeed the core concept of the next-generation Eurofighter Typhoon (also known as Future Combat Air System (FCAS)). But if the ground-based air defense system is American and needs to integrate American-designed F-35 jets, then this approach may only work to a limited extent.

Due to the downing of Rafale jets, France faces greater problems. This type of aircraft is also part of France's nuclear arsenal, designed to carry nuclear weapons to targets. However, if it can be easily shot down from the air, this will weaken France's nuclear deterrent. Especially in the face of a powerful Russia, France and Europe cannot afford such consequences in the future.

For China's fighters, the first defeat of Western aircraft in actual combat is a milestone for China's arms industry and a new starting point for China's weapons going global!

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7507730003879019047/

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