J-35A fighter (PLAAF) + FC-31 thread

[phrozenflame]

You still refuse to account into the fact that in 7 years PLAAF will have J-36 operational for PL-17 or more advanced missile internal carriage. A force of 1000 J-20s plus 500-600 J-35A, ~100-150 6th generation fighters and 400-500 J-16 by 2032 is a much better idea especially as enemies start fielding more and more advanced radars and missiles forcing non stealth assest to be pushed further and further back. Your strike package will be useless if they are easily downed by enemy fighters due to not being able to achieve absolute air superiority.

J-16s can sling Pl-17s or even bigger a2a missiles from the back, guided by AWACS and stealth fighters in front. Same for air to sea long range missiles.

 

[Andy1974]

I think modern PLA watching should take accounts like this one a bit more seriously, of course it’s fun and propaganda, but it doesn’t mean it is wrong…

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1925796860481957933

 

[sequ]

Egypt it is then. The recent joint exercise was a major sign. They need a stealth fighter to counter israeli F-35.

 

[Michaelsinodef]

I think modern PLA watching should take accounts like this one a bit more seriously, of course it’s fun and propaganda, but it doesn’t mean it is wrong…

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1925796860481957933

Nah.

 

[vincent]

Third, how'd you intend on repelling over one thousand F-35 that the US and it's allies in southeast asia will have by 2030?

Where do you get that number from? Where are their bases?

 

[siegecrossbow]

Where do you get that number from? Where are their bases?

He is basing it off total airframes produced by Lockheed Martin. Don’t laugh at him though. This is how PLAAF commanders plan the fight too.

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Yankee and ShiLao “dissing” PLAAF for setting unrealistically high performance standards for fighter aircraft and weapons.

TL-DW: PLAAF leaders overestimate the hell out of Western weapon systems.

One funny anecdote they talked about basically involved a PLAAF commander dissing J-16D engineers for not being able to come anywhere close to EA-18’s jamming performance. Only problem? The bloke in charge of translating US intelligence misplaced a decimal point so that the processing capability of the EA-18’s suite got over estimated by a factor of one thousand!!!

P.S. I have complete confidence in PLAAF over performing in any potential showdown large or small in the near future. Compare the attitude of PLAAF heads, who even after May 7th studied what IAF has done right and those of arrogant militaries that diss Eastern equipment for political points, and you’ll know which one will contribute to victory.

 

[ENTED64]

I'll stand corrected on the exact numbers.

Do you see J-16 production going up or winding down?

PLAAF has definitely not ramped J-16 production up to 100 airframes a year, that's way over the top. That said given PLA OPSEC it's hard to really know exact figures, all we have are ball park guesstimates for production based on a combination of rumors, spotted serial numbers, and such. Given demonstrated PLAAF ability to just not let us find out about planes in service for some time (see J-15D/J-15T surprise) there's a significant degree of uncertainty in this.

I think the current guesstimate for J-16 production is like 30-40 a year? It doesn't seem to have ramped up or down in last few years but it is generally anticipated that as a 4.5 gen platform over next few years production will start to ramp down as SAC moves to J-35(A) and 4.5 gen platforms become increasingly noncompetitive.

 

[tamsen_ikard]

While smaller, I don't think J-35 is the low end. It should be as good as J-20 minus the fact smaller size meant reduction in range and what not. Its introduction to air force might be an industrial concern rather than some specialized capability.

There will be compromises to make the J-35 "low-end" to make it appealing enough for PLAAF to go for it. If it is just as good as J-20, then might as well get more J-20. J-35 needs to have a different role compared to the J-20, which will justify its acquisition by the air force.

 

[antiterror13]

China already have over 400 J-16s by now compared to like a dozen of F-15EX the US has right now. USAF only have around 104 F-15EX planned with additional 219 F-15Es in service right now, that's only 343 4.5th gen bomb truck in total. No one is saying PLAAF is going to retire J-16s immediately after inducting J-35As, we are just saying it makes no sense to continue producing J-16s when more production could go into J-35A. J-16s are likely to serve for another decade or two as cheap bombtrucks for low intensity conflicts and carrier planes for EW equipment.

J-16 is very advanced 4.5 gen plane. I don't think it is cheap bomtrucks .. more than that. Not many plane in the world that better than J-16, I have to think hard if there is any outside the US

I agree though that J-16 is unlikely be produced anymore in 3-5 years .. but likely will reach >500 I think

 

[AndrewS]

I do not take into account any significant numbers of J-36 in 7 years. That is way too optimistic.

There is no way to ramp J-35A or any 6th gen to get us numbers like the J-16 in the coming 5 years.

If you look at PLAAF doctrine with the very long range and very big A2A missiles, pushing the cutting edge on radar and shear numbers of AEW aircraft, they are looking to a long range A2A mission even against stealth aircraft.

The J-20 doesn't carry a gun and the most power A2A weapons are carried on J-16, so think about this.

The Rafale's Spectre system never detecting the PL-15E over India is a taste of that kind of warfare that the PLAAF envision, I think.

I don't think the PLAAF see a furball where thousands of J-20s backed by J-35s take on the US and Allies F-35s. That would be disadvantageous to PLAAF.

I think they see J-16s launching missiles far beyond the range of the enemy's weapens guided by midcourse assets and protected by a top cover of J-20s.

That's just for the A2A mission.

If Flanker airframe production continues at about 40? per year, then in 2030, that would be about 500-600 J-16 in total.

And you're talking about teaming J-16s with J-20s.

The J-16s would be launching PL-17 missiles at long range.
You wouldn't want the J-16s to launch PL-15/16s, because that would require them to get closer and make them too vulnerable, as J-16s aren't stealthy.

So we're only looking at the J-16s launching a single long-range volley of PL-17, before the J-20 and J-35 close in with PL-15/16s.

If each J-16 can launch 4 PL-17 missiles, then 500 J-16 should be more than enough.

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As for countering larger numbers of F-35 stealth fighters, the best method is to target the small number of airbases available and destroy those F-35s on the ground.