Operational use of LR-AAMs in aerial combat - Interceptor role

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
Well "weakness" in as much as any air force has tankers and early warning aircraft that can be targeted for destruction. I have no doubt they will be well-protected, but certainly they will not be impervious to attack, and somewhere in between "vulnerable" and "impervious" is where the J-20 comes in.

No doubt a tanker or an AWACs might be a tempting target,,,,, but you've got to get closer than you want to, and the US will vigorously defend those assets, so I just don't get all this "hoopla", at least we do have tankers, and we have AWAC's. The J-20's will have to come from somewhere, and they have to "show up somewhere in order to launch weapons at our assets??

Its not a complicated picture if you are on alert, and we really have no idea how effective anyone's stealth is or isn't except our own. With our own 5th gens running a screen, and powerful radars overlapping coverage??? So granted these aircraft are very capable, and possibly L/O, that just makes defense a little tougher!

The J-20 is a land based aircraft, it does not have the mobility of the F-35B or F-35C, or for that matter the F-35A, or F-22 which may meet those tankers anywhere over a vast expanse of territory???
 

Air Force Brat

Brigadier
Super Moderator
No doubt a tanker or an AWACs might be a tempting target,,,,, but you've got to get closer than you want to, and the US will vigorously defend those assets, so I just don't get all this "hoopla", at least we do have tankers, and we have AWAC's. The J-20's will have to come from somewhere, and they have to "show up somewhere in order to launch weapons at our assets??

Its not a complicated picture if you are on alert, and we really have no idea how effective anyone's stealth is or isn't except our own. With our own 5th gens running a screen, and powerful radars overlapping coverage??? So granted these aircraft are very capable, and possibly L/O, that just makes defense a little tougher!

The J-20 is a land based aircraft, it does not have the mobility of the F-35B or F-35C, or for that matter the F-35A, or F-22 which may meet those tankers anywhere over a vast expanse of territory???

As Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and now Barack Hussein Obama have proven beyond a shadow of any doubting, US weakness is "ALWAYS" capitalized on by our adversaries large and small??? So the Trump team is sending a message, we are on duty, we can and will operate anywhere its legal and expedient or even convenient, we will maintain our decorum and our discipline, and we "strongly suggest" you do likewise??

We're not looking for trouble, we have no problem with you developing your own "defensive weapons", because we don't intend to take anything that's not ours, but if you choose to act in a belligerent, un-neighborly manner, there will be negative consequences.
 

Blackstone

Brigadier
The J-20 is a land based aircraft, it does not have the mobility of the F-35B or F-35C, or for that matter the F-35A, or F-22 which may meet those tankers anywhere over a vast expanse of territory???
What if... China develops a stealthy, extended-range anti-AWAC/Air Tanker cruise missile just to disrupt US kill chain?
 

weig2000

Captain
The J-20 is a land based aircraft, it does not have the mobility of the F-35B or F-35C, or for that matter the F-35A, or F-22 which may meet those tankers anywhere over a vast expanse of territory???

Is the above a question or a definite statement expressing a strong opinion? I'm confused by the multiple questions marks.
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
The Raptor and Lightning II I would argue were designed to counter antiAEW platforms. If you study there data links and radar they have exceptional powerful AESA systems and Stealthy data links. They are often called mini awacs platforms. That is I believe as they were intended to push forward beyond air denial zones well Awacs and tankers hang back in the defensive zone with more conventional fighters flying escort. Of course the problem then is feeding the hungry ninjas (F22,F35). Which is where Stealthy and or unmanned tanker concepts come in.
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
Do the F-22 and F-35 also carry thousands of gallons JP5 too?
No they don't.
because neither run on JP5 the US Military standard fuel is JP8.
F22 carries 2,686.5 gallons internally or 3,880.5 with external tanks. F35A carries 2,760 gallons of JP8 internally, B 1,988 internally and C 2,989 gallons of JP8 for comparison F15 internal is 2.008 gallons F16 is 1,044 internal and FA18C is 1,620 gallons. so do they carry thousands of Gallons of Aviation fuel? Yes yes they do.
 

Blackstone

Brigadier
And what happens when the air tankers carrying JP8 fail to meet the F-22 and 35 on their way back to base? Do they have buddy tanks to transfer fumes to each other?
 

Iron Man

Major
Registered Member
No doubt a tanker or an AWACs might be a tempting target,,,,, but you've got to get closer than you want to, and the US will vigorously defend those assets, so I just don't get all this "hoopla", at least we do have tankers, and we have AWAC's. The J-20's will have to come from somewhere, and they have to "show up somewhere in order to launch weapons at our assets??

Its not a complicated picture if you are on alert, and we really have no idea how effective anyone's stealth is or isn't except our own. With our own 5th gens running a screen, and powerful radars overlapping coverage??? So granted these aircraft are very capable, and possibly L/O, that just makes defense a little tougher!

The J-20 is a land based aircraft, it does not have the mobility of the F-35B or F-35C, or for that matter the F-35A, or F-22 which may meet those tankers anywhere over a vast expanse of territory???
Not sure why you're arguing here, since what I'm saying is that neither tankers nor AWACS are invulnerable. On the face of it, this is something that is not even remotely possible for you to deny. Given that they are not invulnerable, they are susceptible to attack. Again, they will certainly be well-defended by a myriad of fighter escorts, but the exact details of these hypothetical engagements and their likely outcomes are unknown to the BOTH of us.

As for "mobility" I'm not sure what you mean here. Certainly the J-20's unrefueled range is going to be greater than the F-35, and possibly greater than the F-22 as well. And we are talking about a hypothetical engagement involving the US ATTACKING China (since when would China ever be attacking the US in any realistic scenario given the current balance of power???), and trying to penetrate inland to soft targets. This is where the J-20s would come in, to try and deny the USAF and USN its legs (tankers) and its eyes (AWACS) and confine US air assets to the littorals or even beyond.
 
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