On February 21, the U.S. Air Force announced that a B-52H Stratofortress, accompanied by three Philippine FA-50 Golden Eagle fighter jets, conducted a joint patrol in the South China Sea.
The next day, the Philippine Air Force released a group of drone patrols via social media ** and **, saying that the unit was in Ilocos province, 90 kilometers south of Kandong, and Habitoro province, 50 kilometers north of Lubang.
South Korea's many social networks have **, and South Korean netizens even called this paragraph "the first time that South Korean fighter jets launched a war against China"! This is thanks to South Korea's export of FA-50 fighters to the Philippines.
Pictured: American FA-52 fighters escorting the B-50.
The FA-50 was not designed for fighter jets, but was developed on the basis of the South Korean airline T-50 Golden Eagle, which was developed in the United States with technical support from Lockheed Martin.
If a high-level training aircraft is converted into a fighter jet, its power will definitely drop a lot, and at most it is a part-time attack aircraft, but the South Koreans call themselves "small F-16".
The sales of the FA-50 around the world are beyond doubt.
Mainly the equipment produced by Koreans is expensive, and the assembled products are also very cheap, which is the main reason why they will export in the future.
*: Information and translations for Korean netizens.
However, we didn't pay much attention to the small model of the FA-50, but instead set our sights on the aging B-52H.
The Philippine Daily Enquire said the B-52H was supposed to land at Anderson Airport, but did not land in the Philippines.
According to intelligence from our southern theater of operations, B-52H bombers are being closely monitored by the Chinese Navy and Air Force. Fu Qianjiao, a Chinese research scholar, said the voyage was "more of a political show with little military significance." ”
At all times, the B-52H needs to be on the highest alert at all times.
A retired American general sent an e-mail to the Stars and Stripes newspaper saying that the voyage was meaningful.
I don't remember. "Let's remember that the B-52's nuclear capabilities are not decisive or not, but its excellent combination of sensors allows it to withstand long-term maritime reconnaissance training," said Dan Leaf, a former commander of the U.S. Pacific Command (now the Indo-Pacific Command). ”
Retired Navy Lt. Col. Grant Newsham, a senior member of the Strategic Studies Workshop in Tokyo, Japan, said the U.S. Air Force had conducted a B-52H minesweeping exercise off the coast of Hawaii.
He said by email on Wednesday that the B-52H could also carry an anti-ship missile.
They are capable of carrying more than flying machines, so they can be covered with fire, making it difficult to defend against. "Imagine that you have two or three B-52H fighters taking off at the same time from different directions," he said. In that case, it will be more difficult to defend. ”
*: The small aircraft escorts of the Philippines and South Korea are simply a trick played by the United States, and the US Air Force is escorting the B-22 with F-52 stealth fighters.
Newsham added that Philippine fighter jets need to be heavily protected against competitors such as China, and even stealth fighters cannot protect them.
"The joint exercise is both a warning and a political message to China, like the U.S. ally in the Philippines," he said. ”
Although this is a political show, it has to be taken seriously!