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Reading guide: The United States ranks among the top three air forces in the world, and China is catching up imminently, and it is no longer able to distance itself
As the first rays of sunlight leaped across the horizon, illuminating the runway, a silver-gray warplane roared into the blue sky. This is not just a routine training, but a silent wrestling - a contest of air power between the world powers is unfolding.
Recently, the U.S. Air Force announced the 2024 World Air Force Power Rankings, which has aroused widespread attention in the international military community. The rankings not only reflect the current landscape of global air power, but also reveal a shocking truth: the U.S. Air Force, once a distant leader, is now facing an imminent catch-up from China, and it seems that it can no longer afford to distance itself.
According to this ranking, the US Air Force tops the list with 2,094 fighters, followed by the Chinese Air Force with 1,582 fighters. Surprisingly, the Indian Air Force ranked third with 557 warplanes, while Russia, once an air power, failed to make it into the top three. This result raises the question: can the number of warplanes alone accurately assess the strength of a country's air force?
In fact, the assessment of the strength of the Air Force is far more complex than a simple comparison of numbers. It involves fighter performance, pilot quality, logistical support capabilities, and even a country's industrial base and innovation capabilities. From these perspectives, the U.S. Air Force's superiority is gradually diminishing, while the Chinese Air Force is showing impressive upward momentum.
Let's start by looking at the current state of the US Air Force. Despite having the largest number of warplanes, the US Air Force faces a serious aging problem. A large number of F-15 and F-16 fighters in service have entered "middle age", with an average age of about 25 years. While these fighters are designed to last up to 10,000 hours, frequent use and inadequate maintenance are accelerating their aging process.
Even more worrying is the decline in the US Air Force's logistical support capabilities. The failure to maintain the fighters of many wings in a timely and effective manner has not only reduced the attendance rate of combat readiness, but also accelerated the rate of aging. There are reports that some F-15C fighters continue to perform their missions despite severe corrosion, which seems to be incompatible with the title of "the world's first air force".
The U.S. Air Force is currently equipped with the new F-35 and the upgraded F-15, but these fighters also face various challenges. Although the F-35 is technologically advanced, it has a low rate of perfection and high maintenance costs. Although the new version of the F-15EX has excellent performance, only 5 have been produced so far, 3 of which have just reached initial combat capability, and there is still a long way to go before mass deployment.
In contrast, the momentum of the Chinese Air Force is impressive. China is carrying out large-scale aircraft optimization to continuously improve its combat capabilities. One of the most striking is the continued mass production of the J-20 stealth fighter. According to the prediction of the United States and other international authoritative military research institutions, the number of J-20 production may reach 500, which is expected to become the world's largest number of fifth-generation heavy air superiority fighters.
In addition to the J-20, China is constantly refining its fighter lineage. As an advanced fourth-generation semi-fighter, the J-16 excels in both air combat and ground attack. The J-31 (FC-31) Stealth Fighter Jet, which is under development, is expected to become one of the main models of the Chinese Air Force in the future, injecting new vitality into the Chinese Air Force.
The rapid development of the Chinese Air Force is not only reflected in the hardware, but also in the improvement of the overall strategic thinking. China is building an all-round, multi-level air combat system, including support platforms such as early warning aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, and air tankers, as well as various unmanned aerial systems. This systematic development idea has enabled the overall combat capability of the Chinese Air Force to be rapidly improved.
The decline of the U.S. aviation industry also provides an opportunity for China to catch up. Boeing, once the "eldest son of the United States' aviation industry," is now mired in serious management and quality problems. This has not only affected the civil aviation market, but also negatively affected the development and production of military aircraft.
Nevertheless, we must also be soberly aware that the US Air Force still has many advantages. It has the world's most advanced airborne early warning and command system, rich combat experience, and a network of air bases around the world. These advantages are difficult to surpass in the short term.
In the long run, the balance of air power between China and the United States is slowly but surely tilting in favor of China. This change is not only reflected in hardware equipment, but also in the competition of overall national strength and scientific and technological innovation capabilities.
For the United States, how to reverse this trend will be a huge challenge. It needs to revitalize the domestic aviation industry, improve logistics support capabilities, and accelerate the development and deployment of new fighters. But in the current fiscal pressure and political environment, achieving these goals will not be easy.
For China, it is also challenging to maintain the current momentum. How to ensure quality while maintaining rapid development, how to transform quantitative superiority into actual combat capability, and how to train high-quality pilots and technicians who match advanced equipment are all important issues facing the Chinese Air Force.
In any case, as China's air force continues to grow, the landscape of global air power is changing profoundly. This change is not only about the military balance, but will also have far-reaching implications for geopolitics and international relations.
In this silent contest, there are no permanent winners, only participants who are constantly improving. Both the United States and China need to face such changes with an open and rational attitude, seek common ground while reserving differences in competition, and contribute to maintaining regional and global peace and stability. After all, true strength is not only reflected in military strength, but also in the ability and responsibility to promote the common development of mankind.
epilogue
When the sun rises again the next day, warplanes from all over the world will still roar into the sky. But we hope that these flights are not only for competition and confrontation, but also to protect the blue sky and maintain peace. In this era of uncertainties and challenges, only cooperation can create a better future, and only mutual trust can resolve differences.
Let us all hope that the competition in air power will eventually be transformed into the driving force for the common progress of mankind.
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