Incredible!United StatesAir-to-air missiles of a new generationThe AIM260 is expected to go into mass production in 2023 (and may already be in mass production), and may be equipped with the F22 in the future.
Concept diagram of the F22 equipped with a new generation of missiles].
Many military fans are worried about this, and the advantage of the Thunderbolt-15 long-range air-to-air missile equipped with the J-20 may no longer exist
In fact, our worries are unfounded, let's take a look at its performance first, and you can see why some people do not rate the AIM260 missile very highly.
According to the American magazine "Air and Space Power", the American side needs AIM260 missilesThunderbolt 15 against China
It is undeniable that due to the later appearance of the AIM260 missile, it may have a greater advantage in many aspects of performance, but these two missilesThe difference won't be too big.
Since the target is China's Thunderbolt-15 missile, the range of the AIM260 missile should exceed 200 kilometers, and the maximum range can reach 300 kilometers, which is nearly 1 times more than the AIM120 missile.
The range of this strike is almost the same as that of RussiaR-37 long-range air-to-air missileConsiderably, the theoretical value of the latter is among the highest in the world.
On the guidance system, willActive radar guidance and infrared guidance are used,To a certain extent, yesPoses a threat to stealth aircraft.
R-37 long-range air-to-air missile
In particular, infrared guidance is a greater threat to stealth aircraft, after all, the current stealth aircraft,The technology of masking the high-temperature tail flame is not very goodIn the case of close combat, infrared-guided missiles are basically a dozen and one accurate.
Why close?The main reason is that infrared guidance is easy to deviate when hitting long-range targets, and at close range, stealth aircraft can be spotted with the naked eye, so as to lock it manually.
Active radar guidance plus infrared guidanceIt also happens to solve the shortcomings of infrared that can only hit at close range.
Infrared signature of the aircraft].
Enemy stealth aircraft units are roughly identified by active radar, which can be converted to infrared guidance when approaching, thereby attacking enemy aircraft engines.
This guidance technology is also applied to China's Thunderbolt-15 missile, which is why the United States regards China's air-to-air missiles as a threat to its own stealth aircraft.
Nowadays, even thatThe United States has also begun to emulate China in its air-to-air missilesEnough to seeChina's concept of development of air-to-air missiles is advanced.
However, if you only want to restrain China's J-20 with a long-range air-to-air missile with performance comparable to the Thunderbolt-15 missile, it is too underestimate China.
To know,The powerful combat power of the J-20It's not just the Thunderbolt-15 missile, both in stealth and avionics, it surpasses the F22 fighter.
At the end of the day,The American F22 fighter suffered an early lossFailed to catch up with the dividends of human avionics technology, and later after the production line was dismantled, there was no chance.
As for stealth, at the time of F22 production, American stealth technology was not yet mature, for example, there were many details of the aerodynamic layout that could be modified, and stealth materials also needed to be improved.
It can be said that the F22 is the fifth-generation fighter with the worst stealth among the fifth-generation fighters in service, except for the Russian Su-57.
Therefore,The F22 is in a head-to-head duel with the J-20The latter will spot the former more quickly and make decisions that benefit them.
At the Thunderbolt 15 level, not to mention one dozen and one accurate, after the opponent is locked, there should be no problem with two out of three.
Visible,Even if it is equipped with AIM260 missiles, it does not mean that F22 can have the initiative.
Of course, this does not mean that the J-20 will completely crush the F22 fighter, after all, the J-20 is currently mainly equipped with turbofan 10 engines, and there is a certain gap with the American F119 engine.
There is still a certain gap between the engine of the J-20 and the F22.
In close-quarters combat, due to the fact that the Thunderbolt 15 does not function perfectly,The J-20 may be at a disadvantage
There is also a premise here, that is, the F22 fighter can fully play the advantages of the AIM260 missile.
In terms of the avionics level of the F22 in the last century,Relying solely on the fighter radar to lock on to a target 200 kilometers away,True, yesSome are "difficult for the strong".
Once the F22 and J-20 engage in long-range air combat, the J-20 will still be able to rely on the Thunderbolt-15 missile to occupy an advantageous position.
The F260 ceiling with the AIM22 missile may be raised, but oursThe J-20 ceiling will only be higher
In fact, the original intention of the United States to develop the AIM260 missile was not specifically for the F22, but to equip it with a "cooperative combat aircraft" mode in the future.
This mode of combat is simply to take advantage of the advanced performance of the F22 and F35Command a group of "loyal wingmen".Form a formation to fight, so as to greatly increase the joint power of the battlefield.
This group of loyal wingmen is one of the main combat usesIt is to carry long-range air-to-air missiles such as AIM260 to carry out firepower strikes against the enemy and reduce the risk of pilots facing the battlefield directly.
Of course, even if the United States creates the so-called "cooperative combat aircraft" model, we are not without countermeasures, and China still has a hand in the field of air combat. Our self-confidence comes precisely from what may appear in the futureThunderbolt-17 air-to-air missileIt is reported that it will have a range of more than 400 kilometers and a speed of Mach 6.
When the J-20 is equipped with Thunderbolt-17 air-to-air missiles, it can completely attack enemy aircraft outside the battlefield.
In order to ensure the linkage between the aircraft, the American pilots are performing cooperative combat aircraft, and the F22 fighters flying should not be more than 300 kilometers away from the wingman group, which is just the right rangeCovered by Thunderbolt-17 missiles
In other words, the idea that the United States wants to rely on loyal wingmen to get F22 pilots off the battlefield has failed.
Not to mention the speed of the Thunderbolt-17 missile, its penetration ability is also strong, and the flight speed of Mach 6 makes it impossible for any cannon to intercept it.
The largest missile under the belly of the aircraft is suspected to be the Thunderbolt 17].
While the United States is still considering countering our Thunderbolt-15 missiles, we have already left a hand in the field of next-generation air-to-air missiles.
Judging from the relevant information disclosed on the Internet, it is very likely that Thunderbolt 17 has beenEntered service in the units of our army, but it has not yet been explicitly disclosed.
After allThunderbolt 15 was sold to PakistanWe have always been conservative, and if we do not have a more advanced missile, how can we easily use our own advanced missiles for foreign trade?
As for how to counter China's Thunderbolt-17 missiles, this dilemma has been handed over to the United States.
Project Sword
References:
1] The Paper: "AIM-260 air-to-air missile will be equipped with the future "cooperative combat aircraft".
2] Observer.com: "The US Air Force says the AIM-260 will be put into production this year and will be equipped with "loyal wingmen" in the future