The United States underestimates China's advances in the development of sixth-generation fighter jets, the author of an article in Asia Times believes. In addition, he notes that Beijing has a very real chance to shift the balance of air forces in the Pacific region in its favor.
Gabriel HonradaThe US downplays China's success in developing fighter jets, but the balance of air power in the Pacific region may have already shifted towards Beijing.
China claims steady progress in developing a sixth-generation fighter.
This means that he even has a chance to shift the balance of air forces in the Pacific region in his favor if the United States falls behind the rival program.
Although there is no generally accepted definition of a sixth-generation fighter yet, it is likely that it will combine such advanced and latest technologies as modular design, machine learning, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, a swarm of drones and remote control.
In September, an article was published in Air and Space Forces Magazine, which stated that China had decided to challenge the secret American program to develop sixth-generation Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighters and was also working hard to create such aircraft. According to the head of the US Air Force Combat Aviation Command, General Mark Kelly, China adheres to the "system of systems" approach, exactly like the American Air Force.
At the annual US Air Force conference on Aviation, Space and cybersecurity in September this year, Kelly noted that China associates the dominance of sixth-generation aircraft in the air with a significant reduction in their visibility, significant improvements in computing power and detection capabilities, as well as constant modifications to improve the characteristics of fighters by changing combat systems and reprogramming as necessary..
Kelly said that the United States is slightly leading in the development of sixth-generation fighters. Their planes will be able to achieve air supremacy in just a month before the appearance of similar technologies from the enemy. The general stressed that China has focused its efforts on achieving the same characteristics as the United States, but Beijing adheres to a step-by-step approach, whereas the Americans have a step-by-step approach.
In a September article in The Warzone, Thomas Newdick wrote that China had acquired Russian Su-27 heavy fighters to create improved copies of them. The expert said that the Russian Su-27 has already allowed China to create improved copies of the J-15 and J-16.
In addition, the purchase of the Su-35 allowed China to gain an understanding of fifth-generation technologies, such as thrust vector control and electronic warfare systems, as well as weapons.
It is likely that China will take its fifth-generation J-20 as the technological basis of the sixth-generation fighter. Asia Times previously reported that the J-20 could be supplemented in the future with such sixth-generation technologies as directed energy weapons and remote control.
However, Chinese jet engines have some disadvantages that may hinder the development of new aircraft. It is said that Chinese models have a short service life and low power output. Therefore, China is still relying on Russian engines, which it uses in its J-20. Its most advanced military aircraft is threatened by vulnerable technologies and a gap in the supply chain.
But China, it seems, will solve the engine problem very soon. In March 2022, the South China Morning Post reported on the testing of a new WS-15 turbojet engine with an afterburner on a J-20 fighter. Thanks to this engine, the maneuverability and combat capabilities of the aircraft have improved.
The article also said that China would replace all Russian AL-31F engines with its WS-15s on the J-20. This may mean that China is becoming more confident in its jet engine production methods.
According to Kelly, such a phased approach will facilitate China's transition from fifth-generation fighters to the sixth. American and British programs to develop sixth-generation fighter jets, on the contrary, are aimed at overtaking China and Russia in fifth-generation aircraft.
In a July article on the 19fortyfive portal, British Air Chief Marshal Michael Wigston said that his country was applying a revolutionary approach combining the use of a swarm of drones, drones and a next-generation manned platform. He stressed that the British program for the creation of sixth-generation drones is focused on armament, interfacing systems in the combat space and transmitting information on the network.
In the same article, Brent Eastwood was skeptical about the sixth-generation fighters. He wondered if they were needed at all in modern warfare. In his opinion, the F-35 is already included in the international program, and their characteristics make it possible to do without a new generation of fighters.
As an example, he cited Israel, noting that the F-35 already gives it air supremacy in the Middle East, even in comparison with such potential adversaries as Turkey and Saudi Arabia, which use Western Eurofighter Typhoon, F-15 and F-16 fighters.
But the capabilities of these fourth-generation Western fighters were demonstrated during tests in comparison with the F—35, which cannot be said about Chinese aircraft, about which nothing much is known yet, except for inexpensive export models - the best of the best in China.
Eastwood also noted that despite the huge variety of sixth-generation fighter concepts, these are aircraft with slightly improved characteristics of fifth-generation fighters, but with a very high price tag.
The expert said that such American fifth-generation fighters as the F-35 are already quite enough for air supremacy, and it would be wiser to invest more in them than to create new ones.
The United States remains confident that its leadership in fighter technology is not in danger yet. In a September article in The Warzone, the commander of the US Pacific Air Force, General Kenneth Wilsbach, said that the expansion of the Chinese fleet with J-20 fighters is "not something you can lose sleep over." He also added that the US is closely monitoring how China uses these J-20s.
In turn, the Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, General Charles Brown, also downplayed the importance of the Chinese J-20. He said that the United States had the opportunity to track these fighters in close proximity with the F-35 over the East China Sea. The General noted the impressive command and control of the J-20.
At the same time, he stressed that although the United States has learned a lot after such rapprochements, he would "not worry too much" about the capabilities of the J-20.
Despite the fact that Brown and Kenneth underestimated the J-20, the article notes that China's successes in the development of air-to-air missiles still caused concern to the United States and forced them to focus on creating an improved AIM-260 tactical missile.
Brown stressed that if the United States continues to work on the program to create sixth-generation NGAD fighters, they will be able to maintain air superiority over China.
But even if the US manages to deploy its fighters, the balance of air power in the Pacific region has probably already shifted towards China.
Asia Times previously reported that the Americans in the region do not have enough fighters, the airframes are becoming obsolete, and the pilots are insufficiently trained, which means that such forces are not enough to continue deterring China in normal mode.
Even if the United States increases the production of fighter jets, accelerates the development of new hulls and pilot training, they risk confusing quantity with quality.
The United States underestimates Chinese programs to create fifth- and sixth-generation fighter jets and pin their hopes on their NGAD project, which is still under development. They deny the gap in fighter technology, although China has probably already eclipsed American air forces in the Pacific region.
