Now, before anyone says I'll be biased because I'm speaking English,
my ancestors are from China.
So, in this video, I will be making an unbiased comparison between the
stealth fighter jets of United States and China.
The question at the back of our mind is,
"What will happen when the US F-35 encounter the Chinese J-20 in combat?"
Till date, only 3 countries in the world has developed 5th generation stealth fighters.
Russia's Sukhoi 57 was developed in 2009,
but as of today, only 16 units were produced and the aircraft has not entered mass production.
The United States Armed Forces operate more than 800 F-35 Lightning IIs as of June 2022.
Comprising 3 different variants, the F-35A is used by the U.S Air Force while the F-35B and C
are used by the U.S Marine Corps and the U.S Navy respectively.
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) operates between
50 to 60 Jian Erling Weilong (Mighty Dragon).
It was reported that J-20 has elements that mimic the US F-22 Raptor.
The U.S currently operates 186 F-22 Raptors but those are expected to retire by 2030.
China is developing a new stealth multi-role fighter, which looks similar to the F-35.
But as of today, this remains a prototype.
Both the F-35 and J-20 are single-seated fighters.
However, the F-35 is a multi-role fighter,
a jack of all trades, capable of performing air superiority and ground attack missions
whereas the J-20 is designed as an air superiority fighter.
The F-35 has four internal weapon stations,
allowing the carrying of air-to-air missiles as well as air-to-ground munitions.
The F-35 has six external weapon stations for missions that do not require stealth.
Additionally, the F-35 also has a 25 mm 4-barrel rotary cannon.
The J-20 can carry up to six air-to-air missiles and does not have a cannon.
The Chinese air-to-air missiles especially the PL-15 and PL-21
have a longer range than the American air-to-air missiles.
However, do note that having a longer range doesn't necessarily mean the missile will hit
the target due to a variety of factors such as enemy aircraft maneuverability or wind speed.
In terms of sensors and avionics, the F-35 uses the APG-81 AESA radar,
allowing the tracking of multiple targets up to 150 kilometers,
Barracuda EW system, capable of detecting and jamming hostile radars and incoming missiles,
AAQ-37 DAS, consisting six infrared sensors
that provide all expect missile launch warning and target tracking,
AAQ-40 EOTS
and CNI suite.
Official information regarding the sensors and avionics of the J-20 are not publicly available.
It is impossible to tell if the J-20 has a similar capability
when it comes to sensor integration, data processing, networking and target acquisition.
The best protection of these fighter jets is their stealth.
The estimated RCS of an F-35 is 0.001 meter square.
The J-20 estimated RCS is 0.01 meter square.
This means the F-35 will appear smaller on enemy radar.
It must also be noted that the U.S has decades more experience
with stealth technology as compared to China.
Apart from traditional countermeasures like flares and chaff, the F-35 also has (active)
electronic countermeasures as mentioned earlier.
It is unknown whether the J-20 has active electronic countermeasures,
although other Chinese aircraft like J-16D can carry jamming pods.
Additionally, the F-35 is also capable of using towed decoys.
The Chinese air force does not seem to have such decoys.
The F-35 is powered by a single engine, capable of generating a thrust of 191 kilonewtons.
Initial J-20s were powered by twin Soviet engines.
However, newer variants of J-20s are equipped with domestically produced engines.
There are also reports of the new powerplant currently undergoing trial.
The F-35 is able to reach max speed of Mach 1.6
whereas it was reported that J-20 can reach Mach 2.
Some air defense missiles can reach Mach 7 so this doesn't really help in evading missiles.
The J-20 also has a higher service ceiling than the F-35.
Although the J-20 can carry more fuel, travelling at higher speed also burns more fuel.
Moreover, given the J-20 is heavier, its fuel consumption is likely higher than the F-35.
In terms of maneuverability, experts believe that the F-35 has an advantage,
given that the F-35 is smaller and lighter than the J-20.
The F-35 has an operational range of more than 2,200 kilometers before needing to refuel.
Once again, the J-20's operational range is unknown.
Experts have estimated the J-20's operational range
to be somewhere between 1,200 to 2,700 kilometers.
Ultimately, this really depends on the fuel consumption of the jets.
Overall, the lack of information combined with misleading reports
make the comparison of F-35 and J-20 very difficult.
In conclusion, the F-35 is superior in terms of armament, stealth, survivability and
maneuverability whereas the J-20 is superior in terms of max firing range and max performance.
The likelihood of a 1-on-1 fighter jet dogfight is low.
In a large-scale conflict, multiple aircraft would be deployed.
Stealth fighter jets would be supported by airborne early warning aircraft,
various radars and surveillance assets.
Other factors such as weather would also play a role.
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