F-35 tops China's threat list
(Baonghean.vn) - Chinese military scientists have compared US jets, showing that the F-35 poses a greater threat in the East Sea and the Taiwan Strait than the older F-22, which is often considered the world's most powerful stealth aircraft.
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Illustration photo. Photo: AP |
The study, published in China’s Modern Defense Technology, analyzed the threat levels of various US military aircraft during different phases of an air incursion operation at a distance from the Chinese coast. The researchers found that while both the F-22 and F-35 fighters posed a “significant” threat to Chinese defenses at all stages of the operation, the F-35A was seen as the more versatile and capable aircraft in any potential conflict in China’s territorial waters.
The researchers propose a two-pronged approach to counter the threat. China should develop “soft kill” electronic warfare capabilities as well as physical weapons to deliver a “hard kill” response. “The F-35A poses a greater threat than the F-22A due to its more advanced avionics and multi-mission capabilities,” the researchers said. “Given that the F-35A can be used both as a sensor for intelligence gathering and as a lead aircraft for attack convoys, both soft kill and hard kill attack methods should be applied to suppress this aircraft.”
By studying the threat posed by operational US aircraft such as the F-22 and F-35, Chinese military planners can better understand how to develop effective countermeasures and defend their own airspace, according to researchers. The F-22, developed during the Cold War, is primarily an air superiority fighter with limited ground attack capabilities. The F-22 is faster than the F-35, while its unique design and materials mean it has superior stealth capabilities. In contrast, the F-35 is designed as a multi-role fighter, capable of performing a range of missions from air-to-air, air-to-ground, and intelligence gathering. The F-35 is also cheaper than the F-22, with a unit price of about $80 million compared to the F-22's price tag of about $150 million per unit.
To counter the F-35, the authors say, China should focus on developing advanced radar systems and electronic warfare capabilities that combine soft and hard countermeasures. Soft countermeasures include non-lethal methods to disable or disrupt the aircraft’s systems, such as electronic jamming or cyberattacks. The study suggests new skills are needed to disrupt the F-35A’s sensors and communications systems. The authors suggest China should also develop its own advanced air defense systems – such as the HQ-9 missile – to shoot down any intruding F-35As, as part of hard countermeasures, which use physical weapons to destroy or disable the aircraft./.
