Leaked Image Of China’s ‘Straight Spine’ J-10D Jet, Similar To Latest F-16 Fighter, Sparks Buzz On Social Media

Posted: July 15, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | 8 Comments

By Parth Satam

July 14, 2022

Image J-10D

A photo of a heavily modified Chinese J-10 fighter jet is gaining attention on social media, with observers speculating it might be fake – a standard Chinese disinformation tactic.

Called the J-10D, the defining feature is a straight spine section, like the F-16 Block-52+, Block-60EF and Block-70 variants, housing additional electronics and possibly fuel. In either case, it frees space on the wing pylons and fuselage that carry electronic warfare equipment and external fuel tanks.

The canopy is also a single-piece design that misses the support structure that often aids radar reflection. Even the main delta wing appears straight, without the twisted surface on the older J-10, J-10B and J-10C variants, which reduces drag, enhances maximum speed and overall better aerodynamic control.

The aircraft is also less reliant on the lift provided by the main wing.

A leaked photo of what is being called a J-10D at the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) testing facility

If the picture is real and such a jet does exist, it is likely that it will have largely the same range of electronics and avionics as the J-10C – the J-10’s most advanced variant that was acquired by the Pakistan Air Force earlier this year.

The J-10C has one of the best Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar amongst single-engine fighters, with 1,200 TR (transmitter/receiver) modules.

On the other hand, the Dassault Rafale’s RBE2 AESA radar has 838 TR modules. It also sports the same underbelly diverterless engine air intakes as the J-10C.

Another major similarity with the J-10C seems to be Electronic Warfare (EW) device under the vertical stabilizer’s tip. It, too, has antennas jutting out from astride the air intakes.

These are usually Radar Warning Receivers (RWR) or Laser Warning Detectors (LWR). If not fake, the J-10D in the photo could also be a Technology Demonstrator (TD) not meant for mass production.

At a time when China has been making strides in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and trying to catch up with the United States in sensor fusion and data processing, it won’t be far off to imagine it wanting to tinker with these attempts on a TD.

Assuming it has enhanced EW capability, it might operate with the latest EW-capable J-16, which has EW pods on its wing tips.

If accepted for serial production, the J-10D would clearly fall in the Gen. 4++ category, supplementing J-20s that might be lost in combat or could not be produced in case of industrial supply chain issues or a strategic loss of its aerospace industry.

However, a war reaching deep inside and devastating China’s mainland is far off, but one can trust the culturally strategic Chinese to have at least anticipated such a scenario.

Image J-10C

A Chinese J-10C. (via Twitter)

Modified J-10B Testbed?

Pakistan Strategic Forum, a popular channel analyzing Chinese defense aerospace issues, claims the image is real and is a modified J-10B used as a testbed.

The image, PSF says, is clicked at the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) test facility. “The Enlarged Dorsal Spine (EDS) is meant to house specialized avionics,” the Urdu PSF commentary on the photo says.

It adds that the variant in the picture is being called the J-10D since, based on the exhaust nozzle, it seems to be powered by the Russian AL-31 F/N Series-3 engine.

Either way, the J-10 B and C series are otherwise extremely formidable fighters, capable of firing the PL-15 Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile, which can fly up to 300 km, making it the longest range air-to-air missile.

Flying with the thrust vectoring WS-10B engine, it ranks far above the LCA Mk.1A and is expected to match the under-development Mark 2.

JF-17 (FC-1)

A JF-17 (FC-1)

The J-10C acquired by Pakistan is meant to counter India’s Rafale, which has given it significant air dominance capability over the larger Indian Air Force (IAF). It marks a notable capability improvement over the JF-17 Thunder, which has been admittedly inferior to even the LCA Mk-1A in terms of kinematic performance.

With the J-10C, the PAF has another frontline fighter apart from the F-16, unlike India, which has the Sukhoi Su-30, Mirage-2000s, MiG-29 and the Rafale. Experts believe the JF-17 to be predominantly used in point defense, ground attack and bombing roles but wouldn’t go toe-to-toe with the more advanced Indian aircraft.

Source: EurAsian Times “Leaked Image Of China’s ‘Straight Spine’ J-10D Jet, Similar To Latest F-16 Fighter, Sparks Buzz On Social Media”

Note: This is EurAsian Times’ report I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean whether I agree or disagree with the article’s views.

Pakistan inducts China-made J-10C multi-role fighter jets into PAF

Posted: March 13, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Pakistan inducts China-made J-10C multi-role fighter jets into PAF

By Sajjad HussainMarch 11, 2022 21:48 IST

Pakistan on Friday formally inducted an unspecified number of J-10C multi-role fighter jets, acquired from its all-weather ally China, into its air force to bolster the country’s combat capabilities.

Photo Imran in J-10C

IMAGE: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan sits in the cockpit of the Chinese J-10C combat aircraft as he is briefed during the induction ceremony at the PAF base in Kamra, Pakistan, March 11, 2022. Photograph: Reuters

Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed a ceremony held at Pakistan Air Force base Minhas Kamra in Attock district of Punjab province to induct the new fighter jets.

“Unfortunately, efforts are being made to create an imbalance in the region and to address this, a big addition has been made today to our defence system,” he said, apparently referring to India’s acquisition of Rafale fighter jets from France.

Khan described it as a big moment for Pakistan after about 40 years when F-16s provided by the US were inducted into the PAF.

“When F-16s were inducted 40 years ago, the whole nation was jubilant and now that time has come again as Pakistan is strengthening itself. There was an attempt to create an imbalance in the region however, the induction of the fighter aircraft has again created an equilibrium,” he said.

He also thanked China for providing the aircraft in a short span of about eight months when it often takes years to acquire modern jets.

In a veiled reference to India, Khan said any country would have to think twice before harbouring any aggression towards Pakistan, asserting that the armed forces were well-equipped and trained to defeat any threat.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu, said the JC-10 was a fully integrated weapon, avionic and combat system and its induction into the PAF would further strengthen its professional capabilities.

The new jet can be equipped with a bigger active electronically scanned array radar than the one used by the JF-17 Block 3, and it can also carry more advanced, fourth-generation air-to-air missiles including the short-range PL-10 and the beyond-visual-range PL-15.

The J-10C is a 4.5-generation medium-sized fighter jet and is more powerful than the China-Pakistan jointly developed lightweight fighter jet, the JF-17, currently being used by the PAF.

Pakistan had announced the display of the new jet on March 23 at the annual Defence Day Parade. The exact number of aircraft provided by China so far is not known.

The Dawn newspaper reported that prime minister Khan witnessed the landing of five J-10C aircraft.

Interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said in December Pakistan had acquired a full squadron of 25 Chinese multirole J-10C fighter jets in response to India’s purchase of Rafale aircraft.

The minister told reporters in his home city of Rawalpindi that a full squadron of 25 all-weather aircraft comprising J-10C will attend the Pakistan Day ceremony on March 23 this year.

Many experts believe that the J-10C is Pakistan’s answer to the Rafale jets.

The J-10C aircraft were part of the Pak-China joint exercise in 2020, where experts from Pakistan had the opportunity to have a close look at the fighter jets.

The joint exercises started on December 7 in Pakistan and lasted about 20 days, with China sending warplanes including J-10C, J-11B jets, KJ-500 early warning aircraft and Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft, while Pakistan participated with the JF-17 and Mirage III fighter jets.

Pakistan had a fleet of US-made F-16s, which is considered a good match for Rafale, but it was looking for a new multirole all-weather jet to augment its defence after India purchased Rafale jets from France.

Nearly six years ago, India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to purchase 36 Rafale jets under a Rs 59,000-crore deal to boost the Indian Air Force’s combat capabilities.

Source: rediff.com “Pakistan inducts China-made J-10C multi-role fighter jets into PAF”

Note: This is rediff.com’s report I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean whether I agree or disagree with the report’s views.

J-10C serves regional security interests

Posted: February 23, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | 23 Comments

4.5-generation medium-sized fighter jet is significantly more powerful than JF-17, F-16

Our Correspondent

February 22, 2022

ISLAMABAD:

After images of the J-10C fighter jet with Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) marking recently went viral, Chinese analysts have lauded the latest defence cooperation between China and Pakistan, saying that the move holds great significance for both countries as it boosts the combat capabilities of the Pakistani military, promotes China’s aviation equipment, and serves regional security interests.

First published on social media last week, the images show two J-10Cs, equipped with China’s domestically developed WS-10B Taihang turbofan engines, undertaking test flights at an undisclosed location.

“If confirmed, this could be the first time China has exported the J-10 series fighter and also the first time it has exported the WS-10 series engine,” observers said in communication with Global Times.

“The J-10C will significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the Pakistan Air Force,” Chinese analysts said.

“The J-10C is a 4.5-generation medium-sized fighter jet and is more powerful than the China-Pakistan jointly developed lightweight fighter jet, the JF-17, which is currently in service with the Pakistan Air Force,” Shipborne Weapons Executive Chief Editor Shi Hong told the Global Times.

“The J-10C is larger and can be equipped with a bigger active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar than the one used by the JF-17 Block 3,” Shi said, noting that the J-10C can also carry more advanced, fourth-generation air-to-air missiles, including the short-range PL-10 and the beyond-visual-range PL-15.

“The J-10C is also significantly more powerful than the old US-made F-16 fighter jet of PAF and can rival the Rafale fighter jet that recently entered service with the Indian Air Force,” Shi said.

“Pakistan’s J-10C will not replace the JF-17, but form a combination, leading to higher combat capabilities,” Shi said.

In addition to the J-10C, Pakistan’s other military branches have also recently commissioned advanced Chinese equipment. For example, the navy received the first Type 054A/P frigate, and the army acquired the HQ-9/P air defence missile system, according to media reports.

“This demonstrates that defence cooperation between China and Pakistan is going even wider and deeper, and the large-scale adaptation of Chinese equipment by all Pakistani military services will significantly boost their combat capabilities,” Shi said, noting that a simple system with most Chinese hardware can also be supply chain friendly.

To China, the first successful sale of the J-10 series fighter and the WS-10 series engine will further open the international market and more countries will show serious interests in Chinese aviation equipment, analysts said.

“Pakistan’s procurement of the J-10C is also meaningful for China and Pakistan as a more powerful Pakistan military can better safeguard the shared interests of the two countries in the region,” Shi said.

Source: Tribune.com.pk “J-10C serves regional security interests”

Note: This is tribune.com.pk’s report I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean whether I agree or disagree with the report’s views.

US Pushes Pakistan Entirely and Turkey Potentially into China’s Arms

Posted: February 16, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It is common sense that provision of a country with its top weapons facilitates control of the country as parts and maintenance of the weapons are controlled by the supplier. However, the supplier must have the best weapon technology.

Now China and Russia are able to provide similar top weapons not inferior to US ones but at lower prices. Chinese weapons are especially cost effective. According to The War Zone’s report “China’s First Export J-10 Multi-Role Fighters For Pakistan Emerge” yesterday Pakistan is to obtain China’s J-10C. In face of such a situation, the US is still unwilling to provide its advanced weapons such as F-16 to Pakistan. The F-16s the US has already provided Pakistan were for a time Pakistan’s top weapons for its defense against India. However, the US is unwilling to provide advanced updated versions of F-16 while India has purchased Rafales from France, more advanced than not only the old F-16s but also the JF-17s jointly developed by China and Pakistan.

As a result, Pakistan can only try to get China’s J-10C comparable to the Rafale India has got from France. J-10C is much cheaper than F-16 and Rafale. When Pakistan has got J-10C and is satisfied with its performance. Turkey who US has refused to provide F-35 the development of which Turkey has contributed, will certainly purchase China’s J-10C as it is close to Pakistan and may get true information about the fighter jet from Pakistan.

Then the US will not only lose Pakistan but also push Turkey to China’s arms.

Comment by Chan Kai Yee on The War Zone’s report, full text of which can be viewed at https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/44302/chinas-first-export-j-10-multi-role-fighters-for-pakistan-emerge.

Pakistan ‘Starts Inducting’ JF-17 Block III Fighter Jets? Images Of The First Mass-Produced Variant Go Viral

Posted: January 11, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

By Guest Author- January 10, 2022

Photos of the first mass-produced version of the JF-17 Block III fighter have surfaced on social media, suggesting that the model may enter Pakistani service soon. The fighter jets are expected to be produced in China and assembled in Pakistan.

Since China does not ‘trust’ these fighters, even as a cheap replacement for the obsolete J-7’s and J-8’s, the JF-17 fighter jet is explicitly built for export.

Like the previous models of the JF-17, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is expected to be the primary customer for this model. The Chinese feel the new model could attract more interest from foreign customers as it has a substantial increase in the new capabilities.

The latest block of JF-17 appears to be a game-changer for the technology-starved Pakistan’s air combat capabilities as it boasts limited stealth, a more powerful engine, a bigger KLJ-7A AESA radar, and the first infrared search and track system (IRST) on a Pakistani fighter jet.

Like the FC-20E, a J-10C lookalike that Pakistan claimed to have purchased from China, the JF-17 Block III will also feature the AESA radar, providing enhanced situational awareness and interference immunity from electronic warfare while providing offensive electronic warfare options to the PAF.

JF-17 Block III

Photo JF-17 Block III

An image of JF-17 Block III, which was circulating on social media.

Since the JF-17 is one of the lightest fighter jets in the world, it has a similar weight as that of the Swedish Gripen and the US F-16 and can accommodate relatively small radars. Integrating a more advanced radar compensates for the radar limitation.

The light fighters are considered a good fit for Pakistan’s defense budget because of their extremely low cost of operation and maintenance as well as their high availability rate, which means that the majority of the fleet is ready for combat at any time.

However, this low-cost design comes at the expense of flight performance. The fighter is not particularly nimble, which is compensated for by equipping the PL-10E short-range air-to-air missile capable of striking targets at very extreme angles but at a range of about 20 km. This is the primary air-to-air armament of the JF-17 fighter Block III model.

In addition to improvements in sensors and avionics, the armament of the PL-15 long-range air-to-air missile is considered the most notable feature of the new fighter. The PL-15 has an estimated 200 km range (or more depending upon many factors like release height, angle of attack etc.), far exceeding most of India’s existing air-to-air missiles, such as the 80 km MICA missiles used by the Rafale jets.

The PL-15 outranges any missile fielded by the Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 fighter jets and the MiG-21. The MiG-29 and Su-30MKI use the R-77 missile with a range of 110 kilometers.

The only exception is the older Novator K-100 missiles of the Su-30MKI, which pose a low threat to fighter jets and are designed to engage large support aircraft at a range of 300 km, and the Meteor missiles purchased for the Rafale fighters with an estimated range of 200 km.

But the use of PL-15 against a fighter-sized target is not confirmed by China and is only a speculation. According to experts, this missile is more likely to be used against support aircraft like the AWACS and tankers. China claims PL-15 has a more extended range than its predecessors and uses its own AESA radar for guidance, giving it an advantage over western and Russian designs.

Another interesting feature of the Chinese claim is a new holographic wide-angle head display and integrated cockpit display, similar to that used on the Chinese J-20.

That brings us to the engine of JF-17, which is already considered underpowered. These modifications are possible only if the Russians have supplied the Chinese with a more powerful engine or the Chinese have completed building the WS-13 engine intended for the JF-17. The Pakistanis had rejected this engine for the former blocks of the aircraft.

The Russians have tested the RD-93MA engine, which is suitable for the new aircraft model. Open-source information reveals that the RD-93MA engine has 9300 Kgf thurst compared to 8300 kgf of the RD-93 that powers the JF-17 block I and II. The Russians have not yet reported the sale of this engine.

The advanced performance of the JF-17 Block III is expected to make it more attractive than previous versions. With Pakistan likely to field more than 100 of these fighter jets, including single- and two-seat versions. The JF-17 Block III is expected to revolutionize Pakistan’s ability to defend its airspace and serve as a light companion to the JF-20E fighter jets.

F-16 Design Elements In JF-17 Thunder?

In November 2021, The EurAsian Times reported that Azerbaijan seemed to be interested in purchasing the JF-17 Block III variant.

Since the 1950s, Islamabad and Beijing have remained key allies, with India serving as a common foe throughout the Cold War. Given that Islamabad was a strong ally of the US in the fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan, Pakistan could even be considered a bridge between Beijing and Washington at one point in time.

JF-17 BlockIII with PL-10

Photo JF17 Block III 2

The JF-17 Block III, armed with the latest PL-10 short-range AAM. (via Twitter)

Afghan and Soviet planes often targeted the camps where the mujahideen were being trained and armed by Washington and Islamabad.

The Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) Chinese-made jets were slow, prompting it to look for the American F-16s to enhance its airpower. Through Operations Peace Gate I and II, a total of 28 F-16As and 12 two-seat F-16Bs were supplied to Pakistan via Saudi Arabia between October 1982 and 1986.

In the 1990s, Pakistan sought a new fighter plane from China. The request was made for two reasons: first, to replace Pakistan’s outdated Chinese-built J-7 and A-6 aircraft (said to be Chinese clones of the Soviet MiG-21 and MiG-19, respectively), and the second, as the Soviets prepared to field their next-generation MiG-29 lightweight fighter, Pakistan needed an aircraft to counter it.

This led to Project Sabre II, a joint effort by China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC) and the American company Grumman to modernize the J-7s. The original plan was to expand the J-7’s fuselage, alter the control surfaces, and relocate and resize the air intakes.

However, the project fell short of the developers’ objectives, and Project Sabre II was shelved.

The three countries had actually attempted a cooperative venture in the 1980s called Super-7 to produce an enhanced J-7 fighter, which would use F-16 avionics. Following the events in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989, the US government forbade American corporations from cooperating with China, forcing Grumman to quit the program.

China-Russia-Pakistan Collaboration

CAC continued to work on the Super-7 project, and in the 1990s, it proposed to collaborate with the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex to produce a cheaper F-16 replacement named JF-17 Thunder based on the Super-7. The Super 7 was revived in 1998 by China and Pakistan and both split the expenses on a 50/50 basis.

Pakistan Air Force F-16D

Photo F-16D

A Pakistan Air Force F-16D. (Wikipedia)

The fighter needed a new powertrain after Grumman withdrew, therefore the Russian Mikoyan Design Bureau supplied the Klimov RD-93 engine. The RD-93 was a more advanced variant of the RD-33 used in the MiG-29; although, the JF-17 only has one RD-93, whereas the MiG-29 has two RD-33s.

The incorporation of diverterless supersonic intakes (DSI) on the JF-17 design was another major innovation made throughout the development phase. In addition, the Thunder employs an RD-93 turbofan with lower fuselage intakes instead of the MiG-21’s R-25 turbojet with a nose intake.

Engineers from China, Pakistan, and Russia incorporated a better wing, similar to the F-16’s wing, as well as diverterless intakes that perform equally well at high and low speeds.

Pakistani J-7

A Pakistani J-7, which is said to be a copy of the Soviet-era MiG-21 fighter plane. (Wikipedia)

Although it is slightly slower than its Soviet counterpart in terms of speed, the Thunder is significantly more agile, has a range of roughly 750 miles, and its KLJ-7 doppler radar is far more effective.

Unlike the F-16, the JF-17 is equipped with Chinese weaponry such as the PL-5 short-range air-to-air missile, LS-6 GPS-guided glide bombs, and YJ-12 supersonic and YJ-83 subsonic anti-shipping missiles.

Production began in China in 2006 and was quickly relocated to a facility in Pakistan. The Block I JF-17s were the first batch of fighters built for the Pakistan Air Force. Block II JF-17s added dozens of new features and improvements, especially composites in the airframe for weight savings, air-to-air refueling, a full fly-by-wire system, and improved radar.

Block III has an AESA radar, a helmet-mounted targeting system, an upgraded targeting pod, data linkages, and weaponry beyond visual range.

Although it is a descendant of the 60-year-old MiG-21, the JF-17 is a totally modern and cost-effective warplane. With the support and extra design ideas from the F-16, China has modernized the last generation’s budget fighter, the MiG-21, for the current era in many respects.

(Joseph P Chacko is a publisher, columnist and author. He writes on defense and strategic affairs and occasionally other topics. He tweets @chackojoseph)

Source: EurAsian Times “Pakistan ‘Starts Inducting’ JF-17 Block III Fighter Jets? Images Of The First Mass-Produced Variant Go Viral”

Note: This is EurAsian Times’ article I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean whether I agree or disagree with the article’s views.

The U.S. Air Force Just Admitted The F-35 Stealth Fighter Has Failed

Posted: February 26, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | 20 Comments

David Axe, Forbes Staff

Feb 23, 2021,08:00am EST

I write about ships, planes, tanks, drones, missiles and satellites.

The U.S. Air Force’s top officer wants the service to develop an affordable, lightweight fighter to replace hundreds of Cold War-vintage F-16s and complement a small fleet of sophisticated—but costly and unreliable—stealth fighters.

The result would be a high-low mix of expensive “fifth-generation” F-22s and F-35s and inexpensive “fifth-generation-minus” jets, explained Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown Jr.

If that plan sounds familiar, it’s because the Air Force a generation ago launched development of an affordable, lightweight fighter to replace hundreds of Cold War-vintage F-16s and complement a small future fleet of sophisticated—but costly and unreliable—stealth fighters.

But over 20 years of R&D, that lightweight replacement fighter got heavier and more expensive as the Air Force and lead contractor Lockheed Martin LMT -1.4% packed it with more and more new technology.

Yes, we’re talking about the F-35. The 25-ton stealth warplane has become the very problem it was supposed to solve. And now America needs a new fighter to solve that F-35 problem, officials said.

With a sticker price of around $100 million per plane, including the engine, the F-35 is expensive. While stealthy and brimming with high-tech sensors, it’s also maintenance-intensive, buggy and unreliable. “The F-35 is not a low-cost, lightweight fighter,” said Dan Ward, a former Air Force program manager and the author of popular business books including The Simplicity Cycle.

The F-35 is a Ferrari, Brown told reporters last Wednesday. “You don’t drive your Ferrari to work every day, you only drive it on Sundays. This is our ‘high end’ [fighter], we want to make sure we don’t use it all for the low-end fight.”

“I want to moderate how much we’re using those aircraft,” Brown said.

Hence the need for a new low-end fighter to pick up the slack in day-to-day operations. Today, the Air Force’s roughly 1,000 F-16s meet that need. But the flying branch hasn’t bought a new F-16 from Lockheed since 2001. The F-16s are old.

In his last interview before leaving his post in January, Will Roper, the Air Force’s top acquisition official, floated the idea of new F-16 orders. But Brown shot down the idea, saying he doesn’t want more of the classic planes.

The 17-ton, non-stealthy F-16 is too difficult to upgrade with the latest software, Brown explained. Instead of ordering fresh F-16s, he said, the Air Force should initiate a “clean-sheet design” for a new low-end fighter.

Brown’s comments are a tacit admission that the F-35 has failed. As conceived in the 1990s, the program was supposed to produce thousands of fighters to displace almost all of the existing tactical warplanes in the inventories of the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.

The Air Force alone wanted nearly 1,800 F-35s to replace aging F-16s and A-10s and constitute the low end of a low-high fighter mix, with 180 twin-engine F-22s making up the high end.

But the Air Force and Lockheed baked failure into the F-35’s very concept. “They tried to make the F-35 do too much,” said Dan Grazier, an analyst with the Project on Government Oversight in Washington, D.C.

There’s a small-wing version for land-based operations, a big-wing version for the Navy’s catapult-equipped aircraft carriers and, for the small-deck assault ships the Marines ride in, a vertical-landing model with a downward-blasting lift engine.

The complexity added cost. Rising costs imposed delays. Delays gave developers more time to add yet more complexity to the design. Those additions added more cost. Those costs resulted in more delays. So on and so forth.

Fifteen years after the F-35’s first flight, the Air Force has just 250 of the jets. Now the service is signaling possible cuts to the program. It’s not for no reason that Brown has begun characterizing the F-35 as a boutique, high-end fighter in the class of the F-22. The Air Force ended F-22 production after completing just 195 copies.

“The F-35 is approaching a crossroads,” Grazier said.

Pentagon leaders have hinted that, as part of the U.S. military’s shift in focus toward peer threats—that is, Russia and China—the Navy and Air Force might get bigger shares of the U.S. military’s roughly $700-billion annual budget. All at the Army’s expense.

“If we’re going to pull the trigger on a new fighter, now’s probably the time,” Grazier said. The Air Force could end F-35 production after just a few hundred examples and redirect tens of billions of dollars to a new fighter program.

But it’s an open question whether the Air Force will ever succeed in developing a light, cheap fighter. The new low-end jet could suffer the same fate as the last low-end jet—the F-35—and steadily gain weight, complexity and cost until it becomes, well, a high-end jet.

If that happens, as it’s happened before, then some future Air Force chief of staff might tell reporters—in, say, the year 2041—that the new F-36 is a Ferrari and you don’t drive your Ferrari to work every day.

To finally replace its 60-year-old F-16s, this future general might say, the Air Force should develop an affordable, lightweight fighter.

Source: Forbes “The U.S. Air Force Just Admitted The F-35 Stealth Fighter Has Failed”

Note: This is Forbes’ report I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean that I agree or disagree with the report’ views.

USAF abandons 80% mission capability rate goal after F-22, F-35 and F-16 fail to hit target

Posted: May 13, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | 8 Comments

By Garrett Reim 12 May 2020

The US Air Force (USAF) has abandoned mission capability rate goals for its Lockheed Martin F-22s, F-35s and F-16s, after none of the fighters hit the target.

In September 2018, former US secretary of defense James Mattis ordered the USAF and US Navy (USN) to increase mission capable rates for those aircraft and Boeing F/A-18s to more than 80% by the end of September 2019. The mission capability rate is the percentage of aircraft that are able to perform at least one mission over a period of time.

USAF chief of staff nominee General Charles Brown says the service has dropped that readiness goal.

“The Office of the Secretary of Defense determined the fiscal year 2019 80% mission capable rate initiative is not an FY2020 requirement,” he said in written testimony sent to the US Armed Services Committee and released on 7 May. “As a result, the air force returned to allowing lead commands to determine the required [mission capability] rates to meet readiness objectives.”

After initially making rosy projections about the F-35 reaching 80% mission capability, the Department of Defense (DoD) gradually walked back its forecast. In July 2019, it said F-35s and F-22s would fail to meet the goal. Nevertheless, F-16s were supposed to hit 80% mission capability by September 2019. In the end, not one of the USAF’s fighters achieved the mark.

The F-16’s mission capable reached a high of 75% in June 2019, F-22s reached a high of 68% in April 2019 and F-35s hit a high of 74% in September 2019, says Brown in his testimony. The USN reported in September 2019 that its fleet of F/A-18s surpassed the 80% mark.

“From April 2018 to February 2020, overall readiness increased 16%, and pacing-unit readiness – those units required in the first 30 days of Combatant Command war plans – increased 35%,” he adds.

Despite improvements, the end goal was not reached for a variety of reasons, says Brown.

“Maintaining ageing aircraft is an extremely difficult and expensive task, while new, technologically advanced weapons systems present their own challenges,” he says. “We developed and are now implementing a Strategic Sustainment Framework that will both improve materiel readiness and set the conditions for long-term cost reduction by developing multiple sources of supply, enhancing our repair network capabilities and capitalising on conditions-based maintenance, plus other commercial best practices.”

Details of the new Strategic Sustainment Framework were not disclosed.

F-35s and F-22s are notoriously difficult to maintain because of complex designs and stealth body coatings, which must be periodically preserved by hand. In particular, the relatively new F-35 remains plagued with design and production problems resulting in some 873 deficiencies, according to the DoD’s most-recent Office of the Director of Operational Test & Evaluation report, released to the US Congress on 30 January.

Source: FlightGlobal “USAF abandons 80% mission capability rate goal after F-22, F-35 and F-16 fail to hit target”

Note: This is FlightGlobal’s report I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean that I agree or disagree with the report’ views.

China’s J-20 deployed as Taiwan waits for F-16s

Posted: July 30, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments


Missiles in the weapons bay of a J-20 at the 2018 Zhuhai Airshow. Photo: Weibo

J-20 now ‘combat-ready’ in PLA’s Eastern Theater Command before US could formally approve F-16 sale

ByK.G. Chan July 29, 2019

Chinese party mouthpieces including the Global Times and PLA Daily have again talked up the might of the J-20, the People’s Liberation Army’s fifth-generation stealth fighter.

They warned that the fighter jet designed for supremacy in the air could fly close to Taiwan to fend off “adversaries from near and far” and reclaim and guard the “Chinese island.”

The warning came after the PLA confirmed the combat-ready deployment of the J-20 in the air wing of the force’s Eastern Theatre Command, a military region headquartered in Nanjing tasked with recapturing Taiwan, which Chinese media often describe as a renegade province that must be put back under Beijing’s rule.

The Eastern Theatre Command encompasses Taiwan and the East China Sea. The distance between Nanjing and Taipei is a little more than 800 kilometers and the J-20 could also be based and serviced on a number of strategically-located airbases in Shanghai, Ningbo and along the coastline of southeastern Fujian province.

A white paper on China’s defense policy published last week also contained a salvo of similar threats: secessionists in Taiwan are the PLA’s bete noire, more so than those troublemakers in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet, and the PLA has been ready for a swift takeover of the self-ruled island in the eventuality of a war.

A day after the paper was released, however, a US warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait, amid continuing overflights above strategic areas such as the South China Sea.

Stationing the J-20 close to the frontier facing Taiwan would give more substance to Beijing’s protest against Washington’s upcoming sale of 66 F-16V fighters to beef up Taiwan’s air-defense.
The fourth-generation F-16V is seen as “outmoded” and would hardly stand a chance in a dogfight against the more advanced, highly maneuverable J-20, according to the Chinese media.

Previous reports have hinted that one or two J-20s could have already buzzed vessels in the Taiwan Strait close to a tacit line delineating Chinese and Taiwanese airspace.

An F-16 fighter in service with the Taiwanese Army takes off from a highway in Changhua country during an anti-PLA invasion drill. Photo: Reuters

Meanwhile, in Taiwan, some observers have lashed out at President Tsai Ing-wen’s “silly” decision to shell out billions of dollars on the F-16s, a deal that not only irked Beijing but also drew the closer deployment of the J-20 and other PLA assets.

But sources close to the island’s defense ministry noted that Taiwan had first opted for the F-35, arguably the most formidable fifth-generation aircraft from Lockheed Martin, a proposal snubbed by the Pentagon.

The ministry insisted that Taiwan would never sit idle and let itself be bludgeoned into “reunification” with China and that its army had the capabilities to defend itself should hostilities break out in the Taiwan Strait.

Source: Asia Times “China’s J-20 deployed as Taiwan waits for F-16s”

Note: This is Asia Times’ report I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean that I agree or disagree with the report’ views.

China’s BRI Boosts Rise of the East, the West Unable to Hinder

Posted: April 3, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Asia Times’ article “Taiwan, the BRI and the geopolitical chessboard” describes the success of China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI) in boosting the rise of the East, which the West is unable to hinder.

The article begins with the tension caused by Beijing’s two J-11s crossing the existent median of Taiwan Strait. The US is going to sell Taiwan more than 60 outdated F-16s to support Taiwan. However, that is insignificant in Asia’s geopolitical chessboard.

The article describes the BRI (Belt and Road initiative) connection between Russia and China. The economies of the two major Asian powers supplement each other. Russia is to divert to China its export of natural resources to the West and get the technologies it needs for development of import-substitution industries from China.

The Article says, “China is de facto an equal or even ahead of the US in plenty of technology areas – as documented, for instance, by Kai-Fu Lee on AI Super-Powers: China, Silicon Valley and the New World Order.” Russia will certainly be able to get the technologies it wants from China.

BRI Cooperation between China and Russia-led Eurasia covers large areas in Asia. In addition, there is an emerging Southwest Asia BRI node that links Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon in the Middle East.

“The West, or what remains of its unity, does not represent a vision of the future any more. China is striving for the BRI to fulfill this role. That’s something a few extra F-16s patrolling the cross-strait median won’t be able to change,“ the article concludes.

Comment by Chan Kai Yee on Asia Times’ article, full text of which can be viewed at https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/04/article/taiwan-the-bri-and-the-geopolitical-chessboard/.

New Helmet for Upgraded Mig-21 Enabled It to Shoot Down F-16

Posted: March 12, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

In recent air battle between India and Pakistan a Russian Mig-21 Bison in Indian air force shot down a US F-16 in Pakistani air force.

The shocking news is regarded as a fake but if it was a fake why the US has to send some of its experts to make an investigation.

Mig-21 is a very old fighter jet but the Mig-21 Bison in Indian air force is a new version upgraded in 2002. By comparison the F-16, also a very old type of fighter jet, though frequently upgraded, its version in Pakistani air force is older than Mig-21 Bison.

A retired Russian air force general claimed that Indian story was reliable as Mig-21 Bison is an upgraded version of Mig-21 Bis with great improvement especially the advanced Tarang Radar warning Receiver (RWR) and the new Helmet Mounted Sighting System, which enables the pilot to launch an Air to Air Missile at off bore angles, simply by turning his head towards the target.

The new helmet has greatly enhanced Mig-21’s dogfight capabilities. It is believed that Indian pilot shot down an F-16 with the help of that helmet.

J-20’s helmet is much more advanced than Mig-21 Bison’s. It shows the pilot all the data and information he needs to see without looking down at the panel. Its pilot can fire and hit the target he looks at without locking on the target. F-35, however, is so backward that its pilot has to look down at its panel and try hard to lock on his target while he is busy controlling his airplane.

There has been no reliable information whether J-20 has a cannon or not as inability to find one in its photographs cannot prove that. However, I believe with the dogfight capability of J-20’s helmet and PL-10 dogfight missile, there is no need for a cannon.

In my opinion, National Interest article is stupid in regarding a canon as indispensable based on air combat experience in 1960s and 1970s.

Britain sent a battleship and cruiser to defeat Japanese navy based on its experience in World War I resulting in both warships being sunk by Japanese aircraft carrier.

Britain failed to pay attention on development of mechanical army or air force before World War II based on its World War I experience while Germany developed powerful advanced mechanized army and air force to conquer France and brought terror to British people with frequent air raids.

Technology is developing much faster now than the period before World War II. China and Russia are using the most advanced technology to create new weapons and ways of combat while the US still sticks to its 1970s’ experience. No wonder F-35 becomes J-20’s prey now.

Article by Chan Kai Yee.

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