In order to stir up the situation in the Taiwan Strait, the United States regards Taiwan as the most important "storm center" and constantly sells weapons to it in a vain attempt to confront China and achieve cross-strait reunification.
In the face of the PLA J-20, the United States even put forward a package of unrealistic fantasies, including letting Taiwan spend a lot of money to buy their crisp shell old machine.
So, what is a crispy shell classic machine?
Earlier this month, the United States Department of Defense announced a major military plan to overhaul its air power in Japan with a budget of more than $10 billion.
The plan mainly includes the replacement of 36 F-16 fighter jets deployed at Misawa Air Base with 48 advanced F-35A fighter jets, and the replacement of 50 aging F-15C/Ds at Kadena Air Base with 36 F-15EX fighter jets of the latest model.
Taiwan media and some analysts have paid special attention to this move, and have put forward a view that these upcoming F-15EX fighters are likely to become the first wave to meet the Chinese People's Liberation Army J-20 stealth fighters in a future conflict in the Taiwan Strait. There are even United States voices suggesting that the F-15EX should be deployed directly in the Taiwan.
However, this plan has also caused quite a bit of controversy. Critics point out that even with an update of this magnitude and replacing existing deployments with 84 new fighters, the number of such forces would still be inadequate in the face of the more than 200 J-20 stealth fighters that the PLA has.
They may not be able to effectively constitute a deterrent to the PLA, and can only play a role in resisting the first wave of air strikes, buying precious time for subsequent US reinforcements.
The analysis pointed out that United States' choice to upgrade the F-15 series and launch the F-15EX fighter reflects the challenges faced by the US military in the existing air defense strategy. Although the F-15EX lacks stealth capabilities compared to the F-22 and F-35, it is expected to be a kind of "missile truck" that strengthens air defenses by carrying a large number of missiles.
This may be seen as a valuable strategic complement in specific circumstances, such as Taiwan. The logic behind this choice is that in the face of technical delays and cost overruns in the fifth-generation aircraft program, especially the F-35 project, the introduction of the F-15EX can fill the "serious national defense strategy gap" faced by the US military in the context of a large number of fourth-generation aircraft being retired and the fifth-generation aircraft production capacity is insufficient.
It has been argued that in the event of a future conflict, the United States Air Force will rely on reliable weapons platforms like the F-15EX rather than exclusively on the limited and costly F-35 or F-22.
They believe that in a potential showdown with fifth-generation aircraft such as China's J-20 or Russia's Su-57, the F-15EX demonstrates its combat value by launching a series of missiles to suppress opponents with its excellent bomb load. However, this strategy has also been seen by some commentators as oversimplifying, arguing that relying solely on bomb load while ignoring considerations of system combat and stealth capabilities may be an outdated mindset in modern air combat.
From a technical point of view, although the F-15EX has excellent air strike capability and payload capacity, its biggest disadvantage is the lack of stealth design, which seems to be a fatal shortcoming in the modern air combat environment.
The development of modern air defense systems puts any non-stealth platform at risk of being quickly detected and shot down, which means that the F-15EX is powerless against an adversary with advanced air defense systems.
Under certain conditions, such as short-range air combat, the F-15EX may be able to exert certain advantages with its greater power and powerful firepower. However, this concept ignores the importance of long-range strike capabilities in modern warfare, and stealth fighters such as the J-20 are designed to avoid close-range combat and ensure air superiority through stealth and long-range strike capabilities.
A more realistic consideration is that if Taiwan introduces the F-15EX, these fighters are likely to be attacked by long-range precision strike weapons launched from the ground or sea in the early stages of the war, thus losing their actual combat effectiveness. Therefore, the US media's proposal to "directly deliver the F-15EX to Taiwan" is more like a reflection of political and economic motives, rather than a proposal based on actual combat needs and tactical considerations.
As for the debate within United States policymakers about the deployment of F-15EX to US forces in Japan, this reflects careful consideration of how to enhance strategic deployment in the Asia-Pacific region. While the F-15EX may have enhanced the U.S. military's tactical flexibility in some ways, its limitations against China's growing military power, especially at forward positions like the first island chain, are just as apparent.
China's J-20 and upcoming J-35 carrier-based aircraft, coupled with heavy fighters such as the Air Police-500 AWACS and J-16, constitute a complex multi-layered air defense and anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capability, posing a huge challenge to any plan attempting to deploy traditional fighters in the region.