America should always be diligent and train as much as they can. But they should also critically assess enemy capabilities without giving in to fear-mongering.
A week doesn’t go by on OpsLens and other outlets without a scary story about Chinese technology and seemingly aggressive action. (This week’s fear is Chinese interference in our election.) As a rising power and somewhat exotic location that many Americans and Westerners know little about, it’s natural for policy-makers and people to have concerns. A potential war could cost millions of lives, and it behooves people to be aware of the dangers. Yet there are differences between legitimate concern and fear-mongering. The differences are highlighted by the introduction of the J-20.
According to Chinese newspapers, the J-20 has entered service as a “combat ready” platform. This is China’s fifth- generation fighter, which makes them a near peer to the United States. The fighter is supposed to cruise at supersonic speed, which widens its range, tactical capabilities, and response time comparable to fighters like the American F-35.
But the J-20 is not using its designed jet engine. The process is clouded in secrecy, but reports indicate that the troubles started in 2015 when its original engine exploded. Analysts attribute this to the inability of China to produce a device that can handle the sustained, extreme heat of jet propulsion. As a result, the J-20 now uses the engine used in China’s older fighters, such as the J-10 and J-11, which entered service almost 20 years ago.
The mismatched instrument produces several problems. The lack of seamless fit in the body of the plane increases its signature and decreases its stealth capability. The J-20 also has to turn on its after-burners to reach and cruise at supersonic speed. This erodes its stealth capabilities even more. After-burning to reach its top speed consumes fuel at greater rates, which limits its operational range. The F-35 is a notorious gas-guzzling plane as well, but the US compensates for this by having a fleet of air refueling planes. The Chinese have not yet developed similar capabilities. If the Chinese used this fighter over contested territory, in the South China Sea for example, it would have very limited time in theater before returning to the mainland to refuel.
The other option is to fire its missiles at sub-sonic speed. But this would decrease the speed of the plane and the striking range of the missiles. Again, the advantages of the F-35 are its speed and long-range sensors that allow it to target and engage from beyond the horizon. The Chinese lack of supersonic cruising speed, sensors, and stealth capability limit their ability to do the same, despite their claim that they are fielding a fifth-generation fighter.
Analysts conclude that the new engines designed for the fighter won’t be available until 2020. Even then, as those who follow the many delays of the F-35 know, they will still have to work out the numerous kinks and issues with the advanced plane. After all that, they will still have to have pilots capable of executing in wartime conditions, and current analysts describe the pilots as “dumb.”
America should always be diligent and train as much as they can. But they should also critically assess enemy capabilities without giving in to fear-mongering. The new Chinese fighter has some great capabilities on paper, but it still has significant technical flaws that limit its use in the near future.