Re: New Generation Fighter
I can see where you're coming from, it wouldn't be so difficult to make the case that some China is still a good 25-30 years behind the U.S. in some key areas, most ostensibly the engine. I'm not sure about the F-22 comparison tho, since while the YF-22 flew in the early '90s, I think the F-22 actually first flew in the late '90s and wasn't fielded till the early 2000's.
I don't think my analysis of catching up in 10 years every 20 years is terribly off. It'll obviously slow down as the gap closes since China would have less to learn from, but even without a slowdown, it would still mean that China would catch up only after 2050.
You both make highly valid points, but it goes back to the point earlier about how advancement of components is not the same as the advanced integration of parts. I suppose it hurts the discussion when we discuss things in general as the progress of components does not always follow the same curve as the development of the whole. However, I think it's safe to say that in a multi-component product, the rate of progress can only match that of the most lagging component, which in China's case would be the engine, airframe, and design aspects of a modern fighter. I think that's what I meant when I compared the J-10s progress to that of the F-16. Obviously the J-10 benefits from being the lagger, but I think in broad strokes, if we talk about engine and airframe, the implementation of the J-10 design is 30 years behind. We can however say that because of the component parts developed at different times the J-10 as a platform overall might mature faster than the F-16. In any case, I don't think there's a right and wrong to this particular point. It's primarily how you frame things and the metrics you use to gauge how many years country X is behind country Y, which as mentioned earlier, makes the discussion vague and spin-worthy.
I think what the general meant when he said "fielded" was when the J-XX would have first flight. In that sense the F-22 first flew around 1990. If the J-xx flies anywhere from 2015-20, that's a good 25-30 years after the F-22 went into first flight. Undoubtedly the gap will narrow, particularly as the F-22 and F-35's turnover rates will likely be slower than the J-XXs, but I don't see that gap narrowing as quickly as some might be indicating.
I can see where you're coming from, it wouldn't be so difficult to make the case that some China is still a good 25-30 years behind the U.S. in some key areas, most ostensibly the engine. I'm not sure about the F-22 comparison tho, since while the YF-22 flew in the early '90s, I think the F-22 actually first flew in the late '90s and wasn't fielded till the early 2000's.
I don't think my analysis of catching up in 10 years every 20 years is terribly off. It'll obviously slow down as the gap closes since China would have less to learn from, but even without a slowdown, it would still mean that China would catch up only after 2050.