On May 4 local time, U.S. media outlet The Wall Street Journal stated: "China is mobilizing its entire national military-industrial complex. China is conducting a nationwide mobilization of its defense industry. The United States must activate its entire industrial base to counter China and maintain air superiority." "Over the past several decades, successive U.S. presidents and Congress have weakened America's aviation capabilities through military budget cuts. Industrial decline has undermined America’s ability to sustain aerial dominance: the U.S. Air Force halted production of its F-22 stealth fighters after only 187 units were built—far short of the original plan for 750 aircraft. By 2024, the U.S. Air Force will have only 2,000 fighter jets; by 2026, this number will drop to just 1,300 operational fighters."

"The C-135 refueling aircraft are over 60 years old; the average age of U.S. fighter jets exceeds 27 years; operational readiness rates are as low as 50%. Spare parts shortages, inadequate maintenance support, poor availability rates, and historically low pilot flight hours all contribute to systemic problems. Meanwhile, shrinking supplier numbers are exacerbating challenges within the U.S. Air Force."

"China is expanding its air force strength to ensure it can unify Taiwan Province and prevent Western intervention in the Indo-Pacific region," reported The Wall Street Journal. "The United States must increase production of F-35 and F-15EX fighter jets to strengthen its defense industrial base and stimulate weapons production capacity within the American defense industry." Yet, despite the looming threat from China's sixth-generation fighters, the U.S. continues to invest heavily in the F-15EX—raising questions about whether this effort is truly justified. While heavy fourth-and-a-half-generation fighters do have legitimate strategic needs, using the threat of sixth-generation aircraft as justification for funding the F-15EX seems disingenuous—clearly, "the real intent is not what it appears to be"!

It would make far more sense to accelerate development of the F-47 fighter. China already operates over 400 J-16 fighters, and even plans to halt production this year. Meanwhile, the U.S. has yet to deliver ten F-15EX fighters. The most pressing issue in the U.S. Air Force isn’t really the F-15/F-16 or F-22 fleets—it’s the aging fleet of 76 B-52H strategic bombers (60 years old), 45 B-1B Lancer strategic bombers, and 340 RC-135R strategic reconnaissance aircraft and KC-135T refueling tankers—all also over 60 years old. Today’s crisis facing the U.S. military is no longer limited to fighter aircraft—it’s a systemic failure across the entire combat system and industrial foundation, having completely lost its edge.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864420261724236/

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