PLAAF agressor squads

During the last half decade there was a significant improvement in the PLAAF considering the capabilities of the elite PLAAF regiments flying with J-11, SU-30MKK. Of course it can be put to the operational experience the Chinese pilots receive on these types but we shall not underestimate the fundamental changes in the military doctrine, which transforms the mass airfore to much more agile and capable units, which can fight high intensity engagements.

What kind of role do you see for the famous agressor squads and what kind of future developments could we foresee for these units? We shall not forget that USAF built their pilot training quite much around this, providing excellent knowledge on asymmetric warfare.

In my view FC-1 could be a perfect agressor plane (as the J-7Es are far from being the best substitutors for Mirage-2000.5...). J-10 could be also an option but that might have another role in the PLAAF...

IMO we will see a mix of planes in the agressor role, depending on what threat you want to simulate. The USAF and US Navy are using right now A-4, F-5/15/16/18 in the agressor role.
The most likely candidates are FC-1 (simulating F-5 and F-CK-1), J-10 simulating F-16 and Mirage 2000, occasionally Su-27/J-11 in the role of the F-15, but the J-7E/G could still do a good job as agressor in the hands of a very experienced pilot (with the gun and pylons removed to make it lighter and thus more agile)

There is a J-7E regiment with the FTTC that roles as a Blue Flag aggressor unit. Before you ask why it's still a J-7E group, its not as if it was proposed to have them change to J-11s. It was, and the group commander rejected it, claiming he could nail 3 J-11s from the PLAAF's most veteran group, name your conditions and altitudes. If he loses, the group changes to J-11s. If he wins, they keep their J-7Es. They kept their J-7Es.

I believe that the other regiments in the FTTC are not just there for operational evaluation, training and tactics development, but also function as aggressors in addition to the J-7E group. Also assigned to the FTTC is one Su-30MKK regiment, one J-10 regiment, and a J-8D regiment.

Squadrons like these are very useful to a modern air force. Aside from training constantly, they usually are free of the other time consuming practices that may effect a squadron. In the US Navy and Marine Corps, much of the time is spent training for carrier operations.

Adversary Units in the Navy as mention above fly older F/A-18A/Bs and F-16A/Bs. Aside from the the aircraft above, the US Naval Reserve fields three units, VFA-201,VFA-204 and VFC-12. The two former units are deployable but yield 50% or so of their missions to Adversary missions. VFC-12 is solely deadicated to DACT (Dissimilar Air Combat Training). The USMC operates a squadron of F-5s aswell, also a Reserve unit. In addition to these units, at times active duty units such as training squadrons VFAs -106,-125,-122 and VMFAT-101 and Marine Reserve Units VMFA-134 fill in as adversaries. The US Navy also rents crews and aircraft from civilian units like ATAC. This company flies Learjets, Saab Drakens and IAI Kfiris as bandits and EW thre simulators. Other contractors employ A4s,L39s and other retired fighter aircraft.

The USAF has added F15s to the F16s at Nellis AFB. The 57 Wing employs these units as RED AIR.

Japan employs F15s as deadicated aggressors. To be sure, Russia also has employed various fighters to simulate western tactics and aircraft.

A great bonus about the Adversary/Aggressor programs is that the aircraft are often flown by older pilots. These pilots know the drill, as the discussion above proved. I am very proud that my close personal friends flying A-4M Sky Hawks routined dominated F15,F16,F14 and F18s in ACM. A plaque from the 177 Fighter Wing thanking my friends for such hard training is still fresh my my memory. The last deployment saw VMA-131 lose three A4s two 15 F15 kills. Often times the pilots have maintained sharp skills due to experiences. I recall one A4 pilot fighting against two AV-8s while we listened on the radio. I felt sorry for the Harrier pilots, but turns out the pilot in question had many hours in the Harrier and would later be the only Reserve pilot to go from USMCR, to active duty with the USN Blue Angels and then back to active duty as executive officer of a squadron of Harriers. He's an awesome pilot and a good friend.

Training of the pilots is the best way to invest in an airforce. The Japanese and Germans in WW2 started out with the best pilots in the world. Because they were not able to continue such training after the start of the war, the crack combat crews were not able to be replaced.

The PLAAF also does a lot of DACT, though the resources for such wasn't available before the 90s. Before that, the only the PLAAF could train upon was J-6s dogfighting with each other, and along with the occasional J-7 and J-5. J-8s were problematic. I'm not sure if a J-6 vs. a J-7 can be regarded as a real DACT practice, as both are fighters of the same philosophy.

The big change started to happen when the PLAAF procured the Su-27s. Initially they had problems training the pilots. The Russians commented that even though the pilots were taken from J-8II ranks, they had bad habits like not trusting or relying on the radar at all. The radar reliability was so bad that time, that basically the PLAAF was a genuine day fighter WVR only force.

The problems got hammered out eventually, and the Su-27s was much different from the J-6/J-7 crowd. There were reports and rumors that the Su-27s were getting their ass handed down by the older planes. Perhaps because the PLAAF was scared of crashing the planes so they pampered the planes and set many flight limits, affecting the training of the pilots. Or the planes had so many maintenance issues, the pilots can't get their hours up. Or pilots that developed habits flying from J-8IIs are not going to stand up against pilots who developed their skills on much more maneuverable aircraft like the J-6 and J-7.

Nonetheless, the Su-27s were able to demonstrate their superiority. Ability to nail their targets at BVR range, ability to use the HMS to lock their targets. With better situational awareness and ECM pods that blind ground radars, the Su-27s got past hordes of air picket fence tactics, in order to bomb run the J-6 and J-7 bases with impunity.

That was a major culture shock to the PLAAF, which led to a Flanker mania in the mid ninetiesthat led them to licensing the plane and purchasing more batches.

The growing numbers of the J-7E and the "fixed radar" versions of the J-8IIs starting with the -D model, greatly added to the PLAAF's airborne radar capability. With both planes, the number of DACT options have increased. The PLAAF is on its way to transformation.

The other effect of such DACT is that the PLAAF also learned how to use obsolete aircraft against more modern competition. J-7s for example, learn to fly low and avoid flying radar nets, usually supplied by Su-27s and J-8IIs. One of the reasons they are keeping J-7s for now, is because with the right tactics and command network, the J-7s, particularly the J-7E, can still be a threat to more modern design fighters. With the J-8II, a working radar and BVR missiles, with the appropriate tactics, showed they can also be a threat. I certainly like to see a J-7E vs. J-8IID match.

DACT options continue to increase with the J-7G, J-8H/F, Su-30MKK, even JH-7As. Now even J-10s. Forseeably I see the FC-1 as a great DACT and Aggressor option for the PLAAF.

Other factors contribute to the growing pilot hours in the PLAAF (up to 180 plus hours by 2004). A healthier budget, a much more improved logistical support especially for the Flankers. Even if more modern planes are down, there are still pools of J-7s where you can get your flight hours up.