Couldn't find a better thread for this question so i'm reviving this one.
Recent US DoD report on PRC military continues its weird and possibly wrong estimates of number of planes within plaaf and planaf. So for the 2022 it states China has 1900 combat fighter aircraft (not including trainers and others) as well as 450 bombers/attack aircraft.
Now, for the sake of the argument, lets assume it's not an error. But if we continue to try to dissect those figures - how would one manage to get to such figures? I certain't cant.
For 1900 fighters China would have to have:
300 J16 (kinda achievable)
650 J10 (kinda achievable)
230 J11b (should be about right?)
100 su30 (should be about right)
80 j15 (kinda achievable)
100 j8 (including recon variants, assuming others weren't retired)
200 j7 (assumes not many have been retired recently)
150 j20 (kinda achievable)
But that's still 1810 fighters. Not 1900. And that's with a lot of these items being, frankly, overestimated.
Now, as for 450 bombers/attack planes:
270 jh7 (should be possible)
140 H6K/L/N (possible?)
40-ish older H6 somehow remaining?
I guess this one check out better, as long as there are still a fair number of old H6 remaining.
Anyway, how you'd go about it, to reach those 1900 and 450 figures?
Recent US DoD report on PRC military continues its weird and possibly wrong estimates of number of planes within plaaf and planaf. So for the 2022 it states China has 1900 combat fighter aircraft (not including trainers and others) as well as 450 bombers/attack aircraft.
Now, for the sake of the argument, lets assume it's not an error. But if we continue to try to dissect those figures - how would one manage to get to such figures? I certain't cant.
For 1900 fighters China would have to have:
300 J16 (kinda achievable)
650 J10 (kinda achievable)
230 J11b (should be about right?)
100 su30 (should be about right)
80 j15 (kinda achievable)
100 j8 (including recon variants, assuming others weren't retired)
200 j7 (assumes not many have been retired recently)
150 j20 (kinda achievable)
But that's still 1810 fighters. Not 1900. And that's with a lot of these items being, frankly, overestimated.
Now, as for 450 bombers/attack planes:
270 jh7 (should be possible)
140 H6K/L/N (possible?)
40-ish older H6 somehow remaining?
I guess this one check out better, as long as there are still a fair number of old H6 remaining.
Anyway, how you'd go about it, to reach those 1900 and 450 figures?