I did some research on this topic and found an Indian think tank called
, which is semi-official with director generals made up of retired Indian Air Marshalls (3 star generals) and articles penned by current high ranking IAF officers.
Behold this gem from SP Singh, an Air Commodore (1 star general) titled
, published in
Spring 2022 (keep this time in mind) in the Journal Air Power (presumably aimed at a specialist/professional audience).
Some highlights from the segment on the PLAAF:
"The PLAAF has also dedicated a large portion of its strength of about 1600 combat-worthy aircraft that include primarily Su-27s and Su-30s with few J-11s."
"In the near future Su-35s are also likely to dominate the skies over the SCS."
"With an envious record rate of modernisation and upgrade of about 70 aircraft/year, the PLAAF has enhanced its fleet of fourth-generation fighters to almost 30 per cent of the combat-worthy fighter force."
"The carrier based 4.5 Generation fighter JF-15 of PLAN, would augment the desired capability level to achieve China’s naval dominance in the region."
"The J-20 aircraft, once operational, would meet the PLAAF requirements of a high speed stealth interceptor against AWACS and other High Value Air Assets (HVAAs) of USAF."
"Though J-31 is not expected to enter service until 2035, the PLAAF appears to be focussed on early roll out of this highly capable platform that may prove to be a game changer."
"While Y-20 with 60 tonnes lift capability is yet to be fully operationalised, with only about 20 Il-76 of just 40 tonnes lift capability each, PLAAF will be in no position to support the massive airlift requirements during operations against USAF."
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Frankly, I am in shock. I must conclude that the average SDF member is more knowledgeable than the IAF high command.
