The advantage of the term I prefer, fighter-interceptor, is that it best describes the J-20 to a layman at a glance. It implies an aircraft that has long range, very good high-speed characteristics, while being able to acquit itself in an air superiority role.
Moreover, given the importance of interception (targets of opportunity) in modern air combat, it also adequately describes the J-20's combat role, as well as how it will engage enemy fighters.
The J-20 is likely to have a speed, supersonic maneuverability, and acceleration advantage over enemy fighters. This means the J-20 can concentrate and achieve a local numerical superiority, as well as fire missiles at long range, then run away.
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The other term, which is what I think other posters might gravitate to, is "high-speed air superiority fighter".
The main problem with the air superiority claim is that it calls to mind 4th generation air combat, where dogfighting was paramount and BVR was more crucial for draining enemy fighters of energy (evasive maneuvers) before hitting the merge. This isn't how 5th generation aircraft fight, and if the J-20 only has 4th-gen level subsonic agility, it makes the J-20 look bad.
Moreover, it calls the J-20 into direct comparison to the F-22 and Su-57, when all these aircrafts are substantially different in performance.
The F-22, for instance, emphasizes stealth, both IR and radar. It has strong supersonic maneuverability because of TVC providing high control authority at supersonic speeds.
The Su-57, on the other hand, emphasizes cost and maneuverability, using the LEVCON innovation alongside off-axis TVC to provide superlative agility. It's an aircraft that wants to get in close and get into the knife fight, even if it doesn't guarantee exceptional kill-loss ratios.
The J-20, on the other hand, wants to use its sensors to spot the enemy first, fire off its BVR or long-range WVR missiles, then close in for the kill or run.
When you put the three heavyweight 5th generations in comparison, the J-20 is going to end up being worse off. In the 4th gen air superiority fighter race involving 5th gen platforms, the J-20 is the loser.
And finally, there's the novelty of it. To the layman, what the hell is a high-speed air superiority fighter? It's a term no one's ever heard of before, and you immediately have to explain how it differs from "normal" stealth air superiority fighters.
In contrast, a "fighter-interceptor" is a concept they can easily wrap their heads around, and is something the J-20 excels at doing. If the counter-argument is that the J-20 can be defeated by aircraft labeled "air superiority", all you have to do is mention that in 5th gen land, you're never going to get close enough to do this, #1, and #2, even if you do, you're fighting attritional battles with HOBS missiles, so you're only going to be able to trade off the J-20 1:1 at best.
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That concludes my statement on this subject. There's definitely aspects I've missed, like how WS-15 can transform the J-20's performance, but as people on this forum are beginning to catch on, no one wants to dogfight anymore!
5th generation air combat is incredibly simple, once the complexity of the target tracking war has been smoothed out. See the target first, shoot the target first, and run away fast if the target tries to shoot back.
Moreover, given the importance of interception (targets of opportunity) in modern air combat, it also adequately describes the J-20's combat role, as well as how it will engage enemy fighters.
The J-20 is likely to have a speed, supersonic maneuverability, and acceleration advantage over enemy fighters. This means the J-20 can concentrate and achieve a local numerical superiority, as well as fire missiles at long range, then run away.
====
The other term, which is what I think other posters might gravitate to, is "high-speed air superiority fighter".
The main problem with the air superiority claim is that it calls to mind 4th generation air combat, where dogfighting was paramount and BVR was more crucial for draining enemy fighters of energy (evasive maneuvers) before hitting the merge. This isn't how 5th generation aircraft fight, and if the J-20 only has 4th-gen level subsonic agility, it makes the J-20 look bad.
Moreover, it calls the J-20 into direct comparison to the F-22 and Su-57, when all these aircrafts are substantially different in performance.
The F-22, for instance, emphasizes stealth, both IR and radar. It has strong supersonic maneuverability because of TVC providing high control authority at supersonic speeds.
The Su-57, on the other hand, emphasizes cost and maneuverability, using the LEVCON innovation alongside off-axis TVC to provide superlative agility. It's an aircraft that wants to get in close and get into the knife fight, even if it doesn't guarantee exceptional kill-loss ratios.
The J-20, on the other hand, wants to use its sensors to spot the enemy first, fire off its BVR or long-range WVR missiles, then close in for the kill or run.
When you put the three heavyweight 5th generations in comparison, the J-20 is going to end up being worse off. In the 4th gen air superiority fighter race involving 5th gen platforms, the J-20 is the loser.
And finally, there's the novelty of it. To the layman, what the hell is a high-speed air superiority fighter? It's a term no one's ever heard of before, and you immediately have to explain how it differs from "normal" stealth air superiority fighters.
In contrast, a "fighter-interceptor" is a concept they can easily wrap their heads around, and is something the J-20 excels at doing. If the counter-argument is that the J-20 can be defeated by aircraft labeled "air superiority", all you have to do is mention that in 5th gen land, you're never going to get close enough to do this, #1, and #2, even if you do, you're fighting attritional battles with HOBS missiles, so you're only going to be able to trade off the J-20 1:1 at best.
====
That concludes my statement on this subject. There's definitely aspects I've missed, like how WS-15 can transform the J-20's performance, but as people on this forum are beginning to catch on, no one wants to dogfight anymore!
5th generation air combat is incredibly simple, once the complexity of the target tracking war has been smoothed out. See the target first, shoot the target first, and run away fast if the target tries to shoot back.
