Comment by wrg91237 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by wrg91237 | Hacker News Reader

"China will soon have air power rivalling the West’s

In some technologies, it has surpassed it"

https://www.economist.com/news/china/21737074-some-technolog...

"in two years’ time, if not before, America is likely to lose its monopoly of radar-beating stealth combat aircraft with the introduction into service of China’s Chengdu J-20. This has a much longer range than America’s new F-35 fighter and will be a serious threat to American warships in the Pacific."

"At least as worrying for American commanders in the region is the dramatic upgrading of China’s inventory of air-to-air missiles (AAMs). The short-range PL-10, which was introduced in 2015, is regarded by military analysts as comparable in performance to Western equivalents, such as the Sidewinder II. This year, the PL-15, a radar-guided “beyond visual range” missile (BVRAAM), should enter service. Carried by a J-20, the PL-15 can destroy an aircraft 50km away that is trying to evade it. “The Military Balance” believes that a version of the missile is in the works that will have a cruise speed of Mach 3. "

We may not be able to defend Taiwan, but for only $1.07t we have "won" Afghanistan.* /s

*https://www.thebalance.com/cost-of-afghanistan-war-timeline-...

Nice website, note by the same source that the US military budget is about $1t per year ($886 billion). Even more insane.

https://www.thebalance.com/u-s-military-budget-components-ch...

For a fraction of that I'm pretty sure we could be well under way of self-sustaining colonization of other Solar System bodies.

Imagine what could have happened had we awarded $10,000 to 100,000,000 American citizens instead, or $100,000 to only 10,000,000, or ... You get the idea.

Oh but we did award that money to American citizens, it's just wasn't as balanced as your numbers.

Defending Taiwan (and Japan) is one area where the US would do exceptionally well in any war. They have no rival on the sea (which is why they are continuously able to conduct their 'freedom of navigation' exercises right on Chinas door step).

Conversely, any land war in North Korea I feel would end disastrously for them - as it arguably did the first time around.

> They have no rival on the sea

Well other than the 'carrier killer' missiles like the DF-21D.

Today, probably yes for Taiwan, certainly yes for Japan. But the pace at which the Chinese Air Force is improving you have to wonder if they could eventually develop air superiority over the South China Sea and prevent US surface ships from getting too close. If so, would the Taiwanese fight bitterly, or would they give in? Fifteen years ago a scenario like that seemed like a fantasy. 'And Afghanistan was a mess.

Also, the British didn't have a rival in the North Sea when the Germans conquered Norway.

> Defending Taiwan (and Japan) is one area where the US would do exceptionally well in any war.

According to a former US State department official (I heard on a recent podcast interview), China never cared to take Taiwan. If they wanted to, all they need to do is cut off access to fresh water from the Chinese mainland.

The US might be able to prevent a ground invasion or counter-attack missile batteries, but the island will fall quickly if China put it's mind to the task.

No, that must be Hong Kong. Taiwan is an island and not connected to the mainland.

Did you get your 50 cents for that post, anonymous new account?

For those who don't know what 50 cents refers to: they are internet commentators employed by the Chinese government for (dis)information campaigns.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_Cent_Party

That's the one.

They've made 3 posts here, all of which are quoting pro-chinese military articles with minimal contributions of their own.

https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=wrg91237

Not the first time I've seen stuff like this.

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Stealth is just a tool. It can be defeated. It doesn't matter who has superior weapons. The question is if those weapons can be combined with the implementation of specific tactics to gain some kind of strategic goal.

This has a much longer range than America’s new F-35 fighter and will be a serious threat to American warships in the Pacific."

In the 21st century, serious threats to warships abound. However, when it comes to China, the real question for the US is how well the US can keep China contained, curtailing China's projection of power towards Taiwan, Japan, and other parts of the region. Superior weapons can help, but distance and logistics are still huge factors, which can work to China's advantage sometimes, and against it other times.

In other words, the issue is a lot more complex than who has the "best" stealth fighter.

Ohh no, the PL-10 is no match to any other 5th gen missile. Sapphire domes made it quite easy to spot the propaganda, they really should have that seeker covered during presentations and airshows. The effectiveness of a 5th gen missile depends heavily on its seeker; it doesn't really matter the other performance metrics when it consistently breaks lock due to countermeasures.

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