As the situation on the peninsula became increasingly tense, many military enthusiasts began to find themselves in the situation of their friendly country, North Korea. As a poor country with a GDP of only one percent of South Korea, North Korea's air force development has stagnated for more than 40 years, which means that in the event of a conflict on the peninsula, North Korea has little strength to compete for air supremacy. However, some have speculated whether North Korea would be able to change that decline if it was supported by Chinese J-10 fighters
The DPRK Air Force is not small, with 110,000 active personnel and 400,000 reservists, and a total of more than 300 fighters, which is not inferior to the South Korean Air Force in terms of numbers. However, the main problem for the DPRK Air Force lies in its active fighters, which are mostly still at the level of the Cold War era, such as the MiG-15, MiG-21 and MiG-29. Even the most advanced MiG-29 is only at the technical level of the 80s of the last century. In addition, the level of ground maintenance of the DPRK Air Force is also worrying.
Some of the aircraft have been in service for more than half a century, and there is a lack of adequate maintenance, resulting in an attendance rate that is even below the minimum standard of 50%. However, there have been glorious moments in the history of the North Korean Air Force. In 1966, North Korea secretly sent its air force to support North Vietnam, and successfully shot down 12 U.S. F-105 bombers on the battlefield in Vietnam with the excellent performance of the MiG-17 and MiG-21. This history also shows the strength and fighting spirit of the DPRK Air Force.
After the introduction of the MiG-29 in the 80s, the strength of the North Korean Air Force stabilized the South Korean Air Force at that time. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 changed the military fortunes of North Korea. Its long-standing dependence on Soviet military assistance prevented North Korea from building its own aviation industry, and as a result, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, North Korea lost access to advanced fighter jets. So far, the equipment of the DPRK Air Force has hardly changed at all, and it is still in a state of serious backwardness.
Faced with this situation, some military fans have raised a question: If China provides North Korean J-10 fighter jets, will it be able to change the backward state of the North Korean Air Force?However, before that, we need to understand the current situation of the South Korean Air Force. At present, the main equipment of the ROK Air Force comes from the United States, including about 60 F-15K fighters, about 30 F-35 fighters, about 130 F-16 fighters, about 60 FA-50s, about 200 F-5E, and about 130 F-4s.
In addition, South Korea is actively developing a domestic fifth-generation aircraft KF-21, and the future is promising. Assuming that the North Korean Air Force receives the J-10 with Chinese assistance, although the performance is comparable to that of the F-16, considering that the South Korean Air Force is equipped with advanced ground-based radars and E-737 early warning aircraft, the air situational awareness capability is far stronger than that of the North Korean Air Force. Therefore, even if the J-10 is not inferior to the F-16 in terms of performance, it may not be easy for North Korea to gain the upper hand in air combat.
Not only is the ROK Air Force equipped with advanced F-15K and F-35 fighters, but the performance of these fighters far exceeds that of medium fighters such as the J-10 and F-16 in terms of bomb load and combat radius. In particular, the F-35, as the most advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter, is difficult to be locked and attacked by the J-10's on-board radar. Considering the excessively backward training system of the DPRK Air Force, even if they get the J-10, it will be difficult to maintain combat effectiveness and achieve victory in air battles.
The most advanced fighter that the DPRK Air Force has been in contact with in the past is the MiG-29 in the 80s of the last century, which means that their pilots and ground crews lack the quality of information-based combat and cannot give full play to the over-the-horizon combat advantages of the J-10. From the above analysis, it can be seen that it is somewhat unrealistic to rely on the J-10 alone to change the status quo of the DPRK Air Force, which is 40 years behind. There is a famous saying in the military field: "Ten years of military training, thirty years of training of the Air Force, and one hundred years of training of the Navy."
This shows that a technology-oriented service like the Air Force needs to lay a good technical foundation and gradually improve its overall strength. What the DPRK Air Force is really lacking now is a defense industrial system that is as independent as China's. The reason why China has been able to go beyond the tradition of the Soviet air force system inherited from the Soviet Union and develop the strength of "being better than the blue" is that China has always regarded localization as the core requirement for the introduction of equipment, rather than just being satisfied with the temporary pleasure brought by the introduction of advanced foreign equipment.
For example, China's self-designed J-20 fighter is an outstanding work of China's aviation industry. The DPRK now has better conditions for the creation of an independent defense industry, even more advantageous than China in the 70s of the last century. During that period, China's relations with the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, deteriorated at the same time, and national defense was under tremendous pressure. However, China has stubbornly resisted this pressure and has freed itself from dependence on the outside world with a spirit of defying difficulties.
And now, despite the blockade of North Korea by the United States, both China and Russia are trusted partners willing to support North Korea. North Korean Air Force pilots are being trained. Of course, even with the help of China and Russia, North Korea still has a long way to go to establish an independent defense industrial system. This requires solving not only a series of technical difficulties, but also financial problems in order to achieve the prosperity and strength of the country. Freezing three feet is not a day's cold, and North Korea still has a long way to go.
References: 1Hundreds of fighters are outdated, North Korea is facing the US and South Korean Air Force, can the J-10 save the North Korean Air Force?Phoenix.com. 2.Air Force Chronicles of Small Countries - South Korean Air Force China Net Military.