Future PLA combat aircraft composition

lcloo

lcloo

Captain
tamsen_ikard said:
I am sure by the time US and China tensions reach high enough levels that War seems imminent, US will vastly increase its budget to not only produce spare parts for those aging fighters, but it could also bring vast number of decommissioned F-16, F-15 out of the bone yards. That's another reserve of fighters that US has that China doesn't have.

War between US and China will be a war of productions, budgets, state capacities, political resilience. US has a huge reserve of former fighter pilots, civil pilots and 4th gen planes that are in storage. China will need to massively out produce US for many years to catch up to those numbers
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China does not have to fight a fighter jet with another fighter jet, or deploy a pilot against another pilot. SAMs downed more fighter jets than AAMs. Classic example is Vietnam War.

China can make more missiles in shorter time than the number of recommissioned fighter jets from boneyards. Also bear in mind China's present aircraft production is at peace time rate, while US is producing at a rate that is much closer to war time rate.

Military budget of China is small as a percentage of its GDP at present. If US will to increase its military budget because of tension with China, and if China in return will to match it with the same GDP percentage for military, their fighter jet roll out rates will be several fold higher than current rates.
 
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gelgoog

Brigadier
Registered Member
You really cannot compare the manufacture rate of a single engine aircraft like the F-35 with the F-22 or the J-20.
Which is why I think until a Chinese single engine stealth aircraft comes into service we won't see Chinese fighter aircraft come close to those US production numbers. Already the Russians decided to make their own single engine aircraft. And given the size of territory they have the twin engine aircraft makes more sense. The single engine in Russia's case only makes sense in case of confrontation with NATO near European Russia. In China's case they have little military opposition in the sparse interior areas of the country and the shape of the country means you need less range in the first place. The twin engine is less necessary for air defense of Chinese airspace but more for power projection into the first island chain and beyond.
 
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davidau

Senior Member
Registered Member
gelgoog said:
You really cannot compare the manufacture rate of a single engine aircraft like the F-35 with the F-22 or the J-20.
Which is why I think until a Chinese single engine stealth aircraft comes into service we won't see Chinese fighter aircraft come close to those US production numbers. Already the Russians decided to make their own single engine aircraft. And given the size of territory they have the twin engine aircraft makes more sense. The single engine in Russia's case only makes sense in case of confrontation with NATO near European Russia. In China's case they have little military opposition in the sparse interior areas of the country and the shape of the country means you need less range in the first place. The twin engine is less necessary for air defense of Chinese airspace but more for power projection into the first island chain and beyond.
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I believe a twin engined fighter provides a safety factor compared with a single engine fighter, although it weights more. Cost/benefit analysis is required.
 
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gongolongo

Junior Member
Registered Member
lcloo said:
China does not have to fight a fighter jet with another fighter jet, or deploy a pilot against another pilot. SAMs downed more fighter jets than AAMs. Classic example is Vietnam War.

China can make more missiles in shorter time than the number of recommissioned fighter jets from boneyards. Also bear in mind China's present aircraft production is at peace time rate, while US is producing at a rate that is much closer to war time rate.

Military budget of China is small as a percentage of its GDP at present. If US will to increase its military budget because of tension with China, and if China in return will to match it with the same GDP percentage for military, their fighter jet roll out rates will be several fold higher than current rates.
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Vietnam War was a long time ago though.
 
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