Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

Data Figure: China’s F-20 fighter flight map

According to the U.S. International Affairs Review Web site reported on 21 February, some of the recent appearance on F -20 fighter photos and videos stirred up for China’s first aircraft, “the first Five “stealth fighter’s hot; the news not only affects the Chinese military, and even spread to the world.

hot part of the widely on whether the U.S. F -20 F-117 “Nighthawk” fighter imitation; U.S. military officials have said that an F-117 “Nighthawk” aircraft before crashed in the Balkans, and China’s purchase of the aircraft wreckage research. The Chinese rebuttal to this statement. Whether this news true or not, does seem to have a certain F -20 fighter’s stealth characteristics, including the nose and cockpit design of the detector, and the U.S. fifth-generation stealth fighter F-22 “Raptor” There are many similarities.

Nevertheless, according to leading U.S. aerospace consulting firm Teal Group (Teal Group) analyst Richard – Uncle Lafia (RichardAboulafia) that F -20 damage the appearance of many aspects of its stealth ability to fly. In an interview with “The Wall Street Journal” interview, he explained, F -20 may have the “invisible look”, but does not necessarily have the ability to fly the actual stealth. In particular, he pointed out that the F -20 exposed engine nozzle, canard, pelvic fins, and its body size (nearly 75 feet, compared to F-22 “Raptor” just over 62 feet in length), all of these factors suggest This fighter will have radar reflectivity.

U.S. military officials have repeatedly stressed that they were not worried about -20 F, the official service of the planes also need six to eight years. Moreover, China lags behind the U.S. in fighter R & D about 25 years, F-22 is the United States in the 1980s designed and manufactured.

It is reported that the potential F -20 fighter combat capability compared with the United States is very interesting; but for China’s military modernization, but this comparison ignores two important factors:

First, the production of F -20 show that China is committed to the inherent design platform to catch up now. In the past, all of China’s fighter aircraft are purchased from Russia. F -20, and other projects indicates that China is moving towards a more independent direction.

second, F -20 existing models may not actually have the ability to stealth, but it can show is that China is very interested in the future development of high-tech, advanced fighter aircraft. Before, behind China with a huge number of fighters to overcome the gap between the rivals. When the fighters becoming increasingly sophisticated, while its cost is increasing, the military can only buy a small amount of fighters to use. This coincided with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in the military implementation of the “construction of small but efficient modern army,” the guiding principle is consistent.

reported that China’s military modernization and the guiding ideology of the current changes in the military are inseparable. During the Cold War, the PLA was prepared set, ready to face and the potential war in the former Soviet Union. Strategic thinking at the time was stationed themselves against the so-called large-scale armed invasion. Eliminate the fear of external invasion, the PLA’s focus shifted to how “high-tech under the conditions of limited war.” To solve this problem, China, disarmament and enhance the remaining forces in high-tech conditions, the ability to perform various tasks. This transformation, as the development of F -20 fighter, like, until today continues.

remaining question is, how the United States and other countries to deal with the Chinese army such changes. Obviously, how to deal with this change depends on whether to accept China’s rising status. If China continues to enhance the combat effectiveness, and perhaps other countries will bring worries. In particular, the issue last fall in the collision, and the U.S. Navy’s “no time” (USNS Impeccable) South China Sea, China-US collision, indicate that China in the future will become more firm and confident. However, on the peaceful resolution of territorial disputes and international trade is crucial to China, the Chinese side want to be able to resolve through diplomatic channels. In any case, China in the coming decades can not compete with the U.S. military level. The most intelligent approach is to continue to work closely with China’s diplomatic and economic ties, but also ready to deal with all aspects of China’s growing ability to improve. (Sri Lanka years)