Many people have the impression that the main combat equipment of the US Air Force has always been in the leading position in technology all over the world, and this is also the basis for the US military to ensure air supremacy. With the rise of China's air combat forces, the F-15 "Hawk" fighter jets of the US military stationed at Kadena Air Base in Japan are outdated, and what kind of fighters to replace them has become the focus of attention of all parties.
In the eyes of the outside world, the US military should at least deploy F-35 fighters for the Kadena base in order to have more or less combat power with the J-20. However, according to Nikkei Asia, the Pentagon plans to permanently deploy 36 F-15EX fighters in Kadena, and if this is true, it indicates that the US military in Japan will enter an era of backward equipment for a long time.
It should be noted that Japan originally deployed 48 F-15CDs in Kadena, and if it is reduced to 36, it means that the number will be reduced by 25%. The F15C D is an aging aircraft that has been in service for almost 40 years and is considered to have lost its air combat superiority compared to the J-16 and J-11BG of the Chinese Air Force.
In the absence of a permanently stationed F-15C D, the US Air Force began sending F-35, F-22 and other fighters to Kadena as part of the rotational force. Japan believes that since the United States attaches so much importance to the Indo-Pacific strategy, and the Kadena base can deter the military operations launched by the People's Liberation Army in the Taiwan Strait, the F-35 is most likely to be deployed for a long time, so as to demonstrate the United States' security recognition of Japan.
On March 28 last year, the United States sent an F-35A to land at Kadena Air Base for rotational deployment. Now the question is: the air combat strength of the F-15EX is enough to use the J-20 as a target, so why doesn't the United States deploy the F-35 instead?
1. The United States believes that the F-35A is not very suitable for the combat environment around the Taiwan Strait. Compared with the F-15EX, the combat radius of the F-35A is far worse, and the flight performance is not enough when performing patrol missions in peacetime, especially the supersonic flight performance of the F-35A is insufficient, and it cannot take on a variety of mission missions like the F15EX. The United States believes that Kadena Air Base is likely to be the first target of the PLA, and the long range of the F-15EX is also conducive to relocation to other locations to avoid Chinese missile strikes.
Second, the long-term plan of the US military is to equip the F-15EX with long-range strikes** for long-range strikes against PLA sea targets. Compared with the F-35, the F-15EX is positioned in the U.S. military more like the Chinese J-16, and the aerial "bomb truck" can carry more anti-ship missiles, gliding bombs and future hypersonic missiles. The F-15EX may have to be deployed forever for decades, and its large bomb vehicle and multi-functional characteristics make it more qualified to pose a threat to China.
3. The US military also plans to equip the F-15EX with an advanced unmanned combat platform. Wells also discussed an interesting scenario with Nikkei Asia: unmanned combat platforms that would work more closely with more traditional manned fighters and adopt a high degree of autonomy. The Air Force "Absolutely" is considering deploying loyal wingmen in Kadena to complement the capabilities of the downsized fleet of F-15 fighters. The F-15EX is a two-seater, which is considered by the U.S. Air Force to be the ideal aircraft for the future to operate loyal wingmen.
Do you sound like the U.S. military's deployment of F-15EX in Japan is far-sighted, but in fact, these statements are unreliable. The real situation is that if the Kadena US military stationed in Japan cannot deploy the best fighter jets, it means that the US military has entered an era of long-term backward equipment performance at China's doorstep. Even if the F-15EX is blown out, it is also a platform with similar performance to the J-16, and its air combat performance is enough to serve the J-20 as a target. And the relatively strong ground strike potential of the F-15EX, and even the potential to control UAVs, is simply far away.
One is that the United States does not have hypersonic missiles at all;Second, the loyal wingman project is also not progressing well, and the loyal wingman carried by the F-15 does not fit the style of future air combat, otherwise China would not need to develop the J-20S;Third, even if it is an F-15EX, it is a long way to go if it wants to deploy 36 aircraft in Japan, because Boeing has only built 2 aircraft until now.
In general, when the air combat platforms of the US military cannot satisfy the vanity of the allies, all kinds of big flickers begin, can the futuristic form of Wells ** satisfy Japan?That's also interesting.