China's New Missiles and Bleeding-edge Radar Mean Big Trouble for Pentagon's Best Fighters
China and the United States have embarked in a seemingly military contest where advancement for either nation is seen as a threat. A Chinese air show recently showcased a series of advanced missiles including bleeding-edge radar that may cause trouble or pose as threats to Pentagon's best fighters. Can China have better military technology than the United States?
Similar to how magicians reveal the people helping them create their magical illusions, China may have resulted to the same tricks. Whereas assistants were to get the attention of the audience particularly the males, the Zhuhai air show is a way for its nation to showcase air and defense capabilities at a trade show. The real deal came following Beijing's demonstration of its group of advanced missiles and radars.
According to The Daily Beast, the Shenyang FC-31 stealth fighter looks a lot like the West's stealth F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet. China did a good job hiding the FC-31 prototype until it flew but details remain scarce. According to the commentaries, the jets most likely come with Russian RD-93s based on the smoke eruptions. It also important to note that until China develop its way of building fighter engines then no military technology especially stealth fighters can be developed under the nation without approval from Vladimir Putin.
Strengthening ties between Russia and China was further demonstrated following a report from The Moscow Times. According to the publication, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu went to Beijing last November. The week-long visit showed the deeper ties between the military forces of both countries.
This is evident as the Daily Beast further pointed out that it is interesting to find that China's military capability now showcases the combination of new and mature technology. For instance, there is a 1950s-design Xian H-6M bomber that has surrounding guided weapons that was displayed for the first time for public viewing. There is also a seemingly upgraded version of the JH-7 light bomber. Other military technologies featured in the show include a a Norinco LD-2000 seven-barrel 30-mm gun and a short-to-medium-range LY-60D/HQ-6D surface-to-air missile.
Any stealth military technology would get the attention of organizations like the Pentagon. The report did note that the latest air defense systems from China appear much harder to kill. China may be more capable in the future.