China Flanker Thread III (land based, exclude J-15)
- Thread starter Blitzo
- Start date
Hi all, is this the thread where I can find some info on the radars/avionics of these Flankers? At least as best as reasonable speculation allows?
If they can keep the legacy flanker victory against hostile naval fifth gen thing under wraps then they can keep everything under wraps.
No, I am not making this up and yea, Yankeesama has seen gun cam footage in an ETC military museum off limits to public. Similar museums in WTC hold a lot of captured rifles and helmets from a certain unfriendly neighboring country.
manqiangrexue
Brigadier
What is this? Did I miss a major event?? Is it ok to discuss here?
J-15 (original) tangle with F-35 in western pacific?
Legacy flanker? so we can rule out J-16 variants, Su-35 and J-15T variants. Leaving J-11B, J-15 (first block) and J-11A. Since it's unlikely for China to be operating J-11A and J-11B out far enough to meet F-35s, it's probably J-15 getting into mock dogfights with F-35 and achieving a position where it could make a gun kill. I find it hard to believe original J-15 from early 2010s could perform much BVR against F-35 and camera footage would imply F-35 in crosshairs.
ETC confirms it would be F-35 that was in crosshairs and since it's the only hostile naval 5th gen in the world. F-22s are not naval.
Legacy flanker? so we can rule out J-16 variants, Su-35 and J-15T variants. Leaving J-11B, J-15 (first block) and J-11A. Since it's unlikely for China to be operating J-11A and J-11B out far enough to meet F-35s, it's probably J-15 getting into mock dogfights with F-35 and achieving a position where it could make a gun kill. I find it hard to believe original J-15 from early 2010s could perform much BVR against F-35 and camera footage would imply F-35 in crosshairs.
ETC confirms it would be F-35 that was in crosshairs and since it's the only hostile naval 5th gen in the world. F-22s are not naval.
manqiangrexue
Brigadier
I'd really want to know as much as is allowable regarding the circumstances under which they came to meet.
If a J-15 flew towards a US carrier group to warn it off and were intercepted by F-35 which entered visual range by their own accord, then outmaneuvering the F-35 is pretty much a given considering the kinematic capabilities of the Flanker. It's not that big a deal because the F-35 would not have been at liberty to engage the J-15 with missiles from BVR even if it could and the Flanker was still blind.
But if F-35 were detected near Chinese airspace maybe in the SCS islands when J-15 were dispatched and they tracked the Lightnings from afar and ran them down asserting final dominance with a gun lock, then that is much more impressive.
Yes, pretty much my thinking as well. Those details wont be given obviously but they could eventually comment on it and provide hints whether it was a nothingburger with F-35 coming into visual range and even engaging in mock combat. We know from Chinese and US sources that J-20 and F-35s along with the baseline support platforms have engaged in some mock fights over the years.
Whether the legacy flanker was directed by other platforms that could spot a stealth configuration, sans LL F-35(s) or not probably is too much for public disclosure for now. Every little detail changes the entire significance of the event along with what capabilities it shows from either side. Without those details, it isn't worth much discussion outside of acknowledging that some legacy flanker had an interaction with an F-35 of unknown configuration and mission profile and got the F-35 in its gunsights... like pretty much any 4th gen fighter well piloted could do even with the F-35 trying not to be in the gunsights of said fighter.
