The Q-5, J-7, J-8 and older PLAAF aircraft

siegecrossbow

siegecrossbow

Field Marshall
Staff member
Super Moderator
Squadson said:
The question is whether China actually has anything comparable to what the J-6W can do. We have seen that China has learned and adapted many battlefield tactics from recent conflicts such as the Russia–Ukraine war and the Iran war. However, one key lesson they seem not to have fully adopted is the development of a mass-produced loitering munition platform similar to the Shahed series, or even a more advanced variant. I’m not sure what the underlying issue is, but in my view, focusing on a single, scalable platform for mass production is more effective than simultaneously testing multiple systems.
Click to expand...
Why would that be an issue? Average private firm in Shenzhen can literally make tens of thousands of Shaheed like drones every week provided that the order exists.
 
plawolf

plawolf

Lieutenant General
vincent said:
J-6 airframes are super old by now. Even though they only need to fly one way trips, one still need to make sure they don’t crash/explode on the runways during takeoff, or drop out of the sky on their way and bombed mainland cities.

They have most likely reached the point where the cost of their maintenances is not worth what the replacements can do.
Click to expand...

I think there will also be other factors beyond merely economics that helped to form this decision.

One of the key reasons for getting rid of the J6/7s is that they need conventional runways for take offs. That not only places a hard cap on maximum launch numbers and rates, it also means they directly compete with manned fighters and high end UCAVs for runway slots. Modern disposable drones will have an insurmountable advantage being able to launch from truck racks and rails, meaning the volume of fire is functionally unlimited, and you also have massively greater flexibility in terms of launch points.

Another factor that may be missed but could potentially be massively important is the PR/moral angle. With J6/7 drones, when they are shot down, as they are almost intended to be, it could provide opfor with combat footage and debris that they can claim as belonging to PLAAF manned jets.

While military experts will be able to easily tell that those are J6/7 drones, it’s basically guaranteed that the western MSM will purposefully ‘misidentify’ them as manned fighters to make it seem like they are doing far better than in reality. Such cheap propaganda points are not just cosmetic in making the PLA look bad, it can also have real impacts on the moral of forces engaged in combat.
 
siegecrossbow

siegecrossbow

Field Marshall
Staff member
Super Moderator
plawolf said:
I think there will also be other factors beyond merely economics that helped to form this decision.

One of the key reasons for getting rid of the J6/7s is that they need conventional runways for take offs. That not only places a hard cap on maximum launch numbers and rates, it also means they directly compete with manned fighters and high end UCAVs for runway slots. Modern disposable drones will have an insurmountable advantage being able to launch from truck racks and rails, meaning the volume of fire is functionally unlimited, and you also have massively greater flexibility in terms of launch points.

Another factor that may be missed but could potentially be massively important is the PR/moral angle. With J6/7 drones, when they are shot down, as they are almost intended to be, it could provide opfor with combat footage and debris that they can claim as belonging to PLAAF manned jets.

While military experts will be able to easily tell that those are J6/7 drones, it’s basically guaranteed that the western MSM will purposefully ‘misidentify’ them as manned fighters to make it seem like they are doing far better than in reality. Such cheap propaganda points are not just cosmetic in making the PLA look bad, it can also have real impacts on the moral of forces engaged in combat.
Click to expand...
This was actually a debate within PLAAF — should we or should we not keep PLAAF insignia on the aircraft? They felt that Wanwanese will use images of insignia on wreckage as evidence that they shot down PLAAF fighter aircraft. That said, they still retained it since it is standard practice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top