China’s Stealth Fighter Inventory Set to Eclipse America’s F-22s
China is outpacing the U.S. in the production of stealth fighters, with the inventory of its most advanced J-20A overtaking that of the U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Raptor as soon as this year, the head of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said Wednesday.
Chipman said that The Military Balance database now shows over 150 J-20A fighters. Though the U.S. is also increasing the number of its fifth-generation F-35As, and these now total around 360, “The pace of China’s defense industrial output means it is catching up,” he said.
“Indeed, if deliveries continue at the same speed, in 2023 the number of J-20As will eclipse the inventory of the U.S. Air Force’s other fifth-generation combat aircraft, the F-22,” Chipman said.
A Chinese J-20 stealth fighter jet performs at an air show in Guangdong province in November.
Military Balance database says Beijing has 150 J-20A aircraft and growing fast.
TOKYO — China is outpacing the U.S. in the production of stealth fighters, with the inventory of its most advanced J-20A overtaking that of the U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Raptor as soon as this year, the head of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said Wednesday.
John Chipman, director-general and chief executive of IISS, told reporters at an online launch event for The Military Balance 2023 that China’s combat aircraft inventory has been transformed over the past five years.
Chipman said that The Military Balance database now shows over 150 J-20A fighters. Though the U.S. is also increasing the number of its fifth-generation F-35As, and these now total around 360, “The pace of China’s defense industrial output means it is catching up,” he said.
“Indeed, if deliveries continue at the same speed, in 2023 the number of J-20As will eclipse the inventory of the U.S. Air Force’s other fifth-generation combat aircraft, the F-22,” Chipman said.
The F-22, the first-ever fifth-generation fighter to enter service, was long considered the most advanced American fighter. The plane is banned from export because its technology was deemed too advanced to land in the hands of another country.
The F-22 is no longer in production due to its high cost, and the U.S. has shifted its resources to the F-35s, which are considered more affordable and versatile. Yet the F-22 is expected to serve into the 2030s, offering the Air Force air superiority.
The J-20 is China’s first fifth-generation fighter and was designed to rival the F-22.
A U.S. F-22 Raptor based out of Qatar is seen during a combat patrol mission over an undisclosed location in southwest Asia.
The Military Balance noted that China’s 7% nominal increase in the 2022 defense budget represents a roughly $16 billion boost for the People’s Liberation Army and its largest annual increase in absolute terms.
“These funds are enabling the PLA’s continued modernization,” it said, including the addition of aircraft carriers, more complex frigates and destroyers as well as a new, longer-range submarine-launched ballistic missile, the JL-3.
The JL-3 could let the PLA Navy target the U.S. from longer ranges than before, giving it options to enhance the survivability of its deterrent, The Military Balance said.
Analysts have noted that if the JL-3 were to have a significantly longer range than China’s current JL-2 missiles, then Beijing could keep its ballistic missile submarines in the South China Sea and target the U.S. from there, rather than having to move into the Pacific Ocean.
Chipman said the Ukraine war has highlighted the importance of weapons stocks and defense production capacity.
“Immediate equipment requirements have led some European states to look to new suppliers beyond domestic or traditional sources,” Chipman said. Poland split its orders for tanks and rocket artillery between U.S. and South Korean firms, he said.
The Military Balance described South Korea as having arguably “the region’s most significant industrial success in 2022.” It noted the framework agreements for the sale to Poland of 1,000 K2 main battle tanks, 672 K9 self-propelled howitzers and 48 FA-50 light combat aircraft.
“The agreements between Poland and [South] Korea represent by some distance the largest defense export deal secured by an Asian country,” it said.
The Ukraine war is also changing the European defense landscape in another way, Chipman noted.
“The supply to Ukraine of older, Soviet-era equipment by East European states is accelerating the modernization of these countries’ inventories, as they reequip with Western-made systems. It is also creating opportunities to improve equipment commonality in Europe,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chipman said that weak currencies, sluggish economic growth, ongoing supply chain disruptions and soaring inflation have hampered countries’ ability to acquire their desired defense capabilities, despite the heightened tensions.
“While global defense expenditure grew in nominal terms in 2021 and 2022, higher inflation meant that expenditure fell in real terms in both years. We estimate that in 2022, inflation wiped some $312 billion of global defense expenditure,” Chipman said.
Regarding India, The Military Balance said the country continues to modernize its armed forces and that New Delhi is looking to improve military infrastructure on its northern border.
It noted that in 2022, concerns were raised over India’s dependence on Russia for weapons and spare parts, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“Recent imports of foreign equipment have primarily been from the U.S. and France,” it said.
But India’s large conventional forces are troubled by inadequate logistics and shortages of ammunition, spare parts and maintenance personnel, the report said. “Though modernization continues, many equipment projects have seen delays and cost overruns, particularly indigenous systems.”
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