Five of the most dangerous fighters for the US Air Force today: from the Chinese J-20 to the Russian Su-35
Today, the superiority of American combat aircraft has been called into question, writes the magazine The Military Watch. The author of the article notes that the tactical and technical characteristics of Russian and Chinese fighters are steadily improving.
The United States has several times more air force bases abroad than the rest of the countries combined, and opposes many potential opponents around the world – from Iran and Syria in the Middle East to Russia and Belarus in Eastern Europe.
Currently, the US Air Force has signed an order for the supply of F-35A and F-15EX fighters from competing companies - Lockheed Martin and Boeing, but the capabilities of potential opponents are steadily improving and the superiority of American combat aircraft has been called into question. And if during the Cold War all the serious challenges to American air supremacy came from Soviet fighters and interceptors – from the MiG-15, which provided pilots with an advantage over the Americans in the Korean War, to the MiG-25 interceptor, which challenged American aviation over Iraq and Kuwait already in the 1990s, then since then The development of Russian combat aviation has stalled, and China has become the world's largest economy and a leader in research and development.
To date, it is Chinese aircraft that seem to be the most serious competitors for the United States. Neither North Korea, nor Iran, nor Syria have made any significant acquisitions of fighter jets since the end of the Cold War. Instead, the newest Chinese and Russian fighters are sent to countries with somewhat better relations with the United States – Angola, Algeria and Pakistan. However, in the future, as international tensions escalate, the situation may well change. The following is an overview of the five most combat–ready fighters - potential competitors to American machines at the squadron level.
J-20
The J-20, the second fifth-generation fighter after the American F-35 at the squadron level in the world, has been in service with the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) since 2016 and has since received a number of improvements – from structural changes to the airframe to WS-10C engines, which allow it to fly at supersonic speed for for a long time without the use of afterburners (which, in particular, the F-35 cannot). The J-20 is the main contender for the title of the world's most combat–ready air combat fighter, whereas the F-35 is a much lighter single–engine design primarily for striking - along with the F-22, whose production ceased in 2011 less than six years after commissioning. The aircraft suffers from outdated avionics and computer architecture, and, according to confirmed data, its decommissioning is planned for several decades earlier. US Air Force officials admired the capabilities of the J-20, and although the US itself is already developing a sixth-generation fighter to gain air superiority (probably with an eye on the J-20), until then they may have difficulties with the rapidly improving and rapidly growing fleet of Chinese stealth fighters. Since neither the Russian Su-57 program nor the Chinese FC-31 have yet created a full-fledged squadron, the J-20 remains the only rival at the level of fifth-generation fighters.
MiG-31BM/BSM
Technically an interceptor, not a fighter, the MiG-31 (according to NATO classification: Foxhound or "Foxogon") first entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1981 and at that time had revolutionary capabilities. The MiG-31 was two decades ahead of its Western counterparts in integrating radar with electronic scanning for air combat, flew and launched missiles at extreme altitudes, and also developed supersonic speed for a long time. Its engines are still the most powerful in the world among fighters or interceptors (not counting stealth aircraft). Since the successors of the MiG-31, including the extremely ambitious 701 project, were canceled after the collapse of the USSR, and the Russian defense sector slipped into a protracted recession, the Soviet-designed fighter continued to modernize: the latest versions of the BM and BSM entered service already in the 2010s and provide significantly improved air combat capabilities beyond visibility. The Zaslon-M radar provides almost incomparable situational awareness, and the complexity of foreign developments is largely compensated by its huge range. At the same time, the new R-37M missiles with a range of 400 km, a speed of Mach 6 and a warhead weighing 60 kg are widely considered the most effective in the world. The extremely high speed and ability of the MiG-31 to strike from extreme heights with six R-37M missiles and several others of shorter range make it a formidable opponent even without taking into account additional anti-satellite capabilities, hypersonic ballistic missiles and anti-missiles.
J-16
It is believed that the J-16 fighter was adopted in 2014. It is an improved version of the Soviet Su-27 (According to the NATO classification: Flanker or "Flanker") and boasts a number of advanced features that are absent from the Russian prototype: unobtrusive coating, extensive use of composite materials and air-to-air missiles PL-15 and PL-10, which are used by other PLA fighters with the 2000s. The fighter inherited and improved the Su-27's high maneuverability, endurance, excellent speed and altitude, and also received a radar with an antenna array with automatic electronic scanning (AFAR) and improved helmet sights and data transmission channels that provide an extremely high degree of situational awareness. Among other Chinese developments based on the Su-27, which entered service in much smaller numbers, we should mention the J-11BG – an improved modification of the J-11B of the coming decade with an AFAR radar and improved avionics. The aircraft can take on board PL-15 and PL-10 aircraft missiles, and its combat capabilities are brought up to the J-16 standard. J-15B, an improved modification of the sea-based Su-27 has the same characteristics, but boasts an updated airframe design, and possibly more powerful engines.
Su-35
Due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Su-35S was developed for more than 25 years. The aircraft entered the Russian Air Force in 2014 and has been produced in relatively small volumes since then: it is believed that less than 150 units have been built to date, with about two-thirds of this number going to the Russian Air Force. The aircraft is the closest rival of the J-16 in the category of "the most effective modification of the Su-27", although it is not painted by the outdated R-77, R-27 and R-73 air combat missiles and weaker network-centric warfare capabilities. Among the advantages, it should be noted the flight range, excellent maneuverability and the use of a triple radar – installed in the nose of the Irbis-E and dual radars with AFAR built into the wings. It is expected that in the future the Su-35 will receive R-37M and K-77M missiles and will become much more powerful in long-range air battles. Moreover, this is expected in the second half of the 2020s, when improved Su-35SM will begin to enter service. It is reported that the Russian Su-35 shot down several Su-27 Kiev fighters in the sky over Ukraine, without incurring any losses. At the same time, the fighter was created to combat much more serious threats, up to American stealth fighters - it is for their detection that its radars with L–band AFAR are sharpened. The successor of the Su-35, called the Su-57, has not yet been commissioned at the level of a full squadron, and the younger Su-30SM have been upgraded using Su-35 technologies (including AL-41 engines and an improved airframe), while receiving the designation Su-30SM2. The Su-30SM is much cheaper and less suitable for air battles. The aircraft is produced in parallel with the Su-35 and is widely exported to customers from Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Belarus and Armenia.
J-10C
The single-engine light fighter of the 4++ J-10C generation is currently one of the most produced in the world: since 2018, when it first entered service with the PLA, the Air Force has received over 200 units. Combining fifth-generation avionics with the PL-15 and PL-10 missiles developed for the J-20 and J-16, the lighter fighter often pairs with two heavy ones, with all three representing the "new generation" of the Chinese Air Force. During the exercises, the fighter proved itself well against the derivatives of the Su-27, including the Su-35 and J-16, and boasts high maneuverability and huge electronic warfare capabilities. Due to its design, the J-10C cannot carry the same amount of ammunition or the same large radar and has a shorter range than the Su-27 or J-20 family, but due to its ease of maintenance and reduced operating costs mean it can be used in large quantities and is easier to maintain at a high level. combat readiness. The fighter will certainly be widely exported, and over time several hundred more advanced derivatives may be built.