Recently, the US media released a 2024 global air force ranking, and the ranking of the Chinese Air Force exceeded everyone's expectations, even ranking behind India, what is going on?
Chinese Air Force: The last-mover first-come
In recent years, China has made progress in building up its air force for all to see, and has even achieved catching up with and surpassing the US military in some respects.
Currently, the US military has about 2,787 warplanes, including 852 stealth fighters. At first glance, these figures are indeed scary, but don't forget that a considerable part of this huge air force is an elderly "veteran" - the average service life of F-15 and F-16 fighters is more than 30 years. Because of this, these fighters are not only expensive to maintain, but also have an uptime rate of less than 60%.
In order to cope with the aging of fighters, the United States is accelerating the introduction of new fighters such as the F-35. However, due to annual production and budget constraints, the process appears to be unusually slow. It is worth mentioning that due to factors such as limited exports of rare metals, there are frequent problems in the production of F-35, resulting in the delay in the delivery of some fighters. It is not difficult to see that although the scale of the US military aircraft is large, it seems to be a little lacking in stamina in terms of updating.
(The F-15 has become a "veteran" in the US Air Force)
In contrast, the Chinese Air Force appears younger and more aggressive. The main fighters such as J-10C, J-16 and J-20 were installed in large numbers after 2016, with a short age, high operating efficiency, and an attendance rate of more than 80%. Such a fleet of aircraft has allowed the Chinese Air Force to narrow the gap with the US military in terms of the number of fighters, technology and quality of equipment.
Especially in the field of early warning aircraft, the advantages of the Chinese Air Force are even more obvious, and various models are readily available. The most representative is the Air Police-500, its digital array active phased array radar system, can be said to be the leading peers, its performance has surpassed the US military's active E-3 early warning aircraft. Such technological progress has enabled the Chinese Air Force to have a stronger air situational awareness capability on the informationized battlefield and provided solid support for seizing air supremacy.
In addition, the Chinese Air Force has also made a lot of breakthroughs in other models. The entry into service of the Y-20 transport aircraft enables the Chinese Air Force to have a domestically produced large strategic transport aircraft for the first time; The Y-8 anti-submarine patrol aircraft has enhanced China's strength in anti-submarine warfare; The J-16D electronic warfare aircraft has become the "right-hand man" of the J-20 fighter. The coordinated operation of these multiple aircraft types indicates that the Chinese Air Force is transforming into a composite air force.
(J-20)
Sophisticated equipment alone is not enough, and another key factor in the rapid rise of the Chinese Air Force is the pilots. Data shows that Chinese pilots fly an average of more than 230 hours per year, which is one of the highest in the world. The long-term driving practice and the accumulation of rich experience have undoubtedly created a team of pilots with exquisite operation and superb skills. These "eagles" soaring in the blue sky are the most reliable combat strength of the Chinese Air Force.
Of course, although the Chinese Air Force has made many breakthroughs in modern equipment, the gap with the United States Air Force still exists. The United States Air Force has hundreds of strategic transport aircraft, tankers, and a large fleet of strategic bombers, which is an area that China will find difficult to match in the short term. However, with the mass installation of Y-20 tankers, the Chinese Air Force's long-range combat capability is steadily improving.
The India Air Force ranks sixth, and the Chinese Air Force ranks seventh?
Looking at the India Air Force, this time the ranking ahead of the Chinese army has caused a lot of controversy. The India Air Force's main fighters, such as the MiG-29K, Su-30MKI and Rafale, are diverse, but their overall performance and modernization are limited. The MiG-29K is considered an entry-level fourth-generation aircraft; Although the Su-30MKI once shocked the four seats, it gradually fell behind with the passage of time. The Rafale fighter, which is the "baby bump" of the India Air Force, although it is technologically advanced, is difficult to form an overwhelming advantage in actual combat due to its limited number.
(India Rafale fighter)
In the eyes of senior officials of the Indian army, the "Rafale" fighter is able to compete with the J-20, and it has repeatedly claimed in public that the "Rafale" fighter "crushed" the J-20, but everyone knows very well what the actual situation is.
As for the LCA "Brilliant" fighter that India has high hopes for, it was originally a symbol of India's independent research and development, but due to the slow production line, none of them have been delivered. This is undoubtedly an embarrassing reality for the India aviation industry. In addition, most of India's early warning aircraft, transport aircraft, and other types of equipment need to be purchased from Europe and the United States at high prices, and it is difficult to quickly replenish them once they are lost in wartime. Compared with the Chinese Air Force, there is indeed a big gap between this situation.
Today, the Chinese Air Force has entered the stage of "strategic air force". To put it simply, it has gradually developed from a modern air force that mainly focused on defense in the past to a modern air force with both offensive and defensive capabilities. Under such a new situation, the Chinese Air Force can not only defend the country's airspace, but also defend its national interests in a broader space.
(LCA Tejas fighter)
In the contest of global air force strength, the Chinese Air Force is rapidly narrowing the distance between it and United States by virtue of its younger models, efficient combat capabilities, and constantly improving strategic level. Although challenges and difficulties still exist, every step of the growth and progress of the Chinese Air Force is affecting the changes in the world's military landscape. In the near future, the Chinese Air Force will usher in an even more brilliant future.