The highly anticipated Zhuhai Airshow is about to begin! The various advanced equipment sent back by the friends who arrived at the air show site in advance has attracted widespread attention both domestically and internationally.

The lineup of participating military aircraft announced by the Chinese Air Force on the 24th includes models such as the J-16D, J-20, Y-20, KJ-500, H-6K, and WZ-7, but the H-20 strategic bomber is not included.

The first appearance of the Rainbow 6 drone

WZ-7 high-altitude long endurance unmanned reconnaissance aircraft

The Lianhe Zaobao mentioned that at the 2018 Zhuhai Air Show, the J-20 entered the arena with three aircraft, two of which performed flight shows, opened the main and side silos, and displayed its attached Thunderbolt 15 and Thunderbolt 10 air-to-air missiles. Nowadays, the J-20 has been put into service in batches, and it is expected that more J-20s will perform flight shows or static displays at this air show. The stealth technology, engines, missile carrying models, and missile carrying capacity of the J-20 are still topics of interest to military enthusiasts and professionals

J-16D electronic warfare aircraft arriving at Zhuhai Airport

The United States is more concerned about the first appearance of the Chinese Air Force's J-16D specialized electronic warfare aircraft. On the 25th, the US "Power" website noticed that the J-16D not only has various antennas all over its body, but also is equipped with at least three different types of standoff jamming pods. The report states that although the specific functions of these pods are still unclear, it makes sense for China to develop multiple types of jamming pods for the J-16D. Because the US EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft is using two different AN/ALQ-99 pods, which are designed to focus on jamming high-frequency and low-frequency transmitters, respectively. At the same time, the US Navy is also developing new electronic warfare pods for the EA-18G, mainly targeting the mid frequency range. Multiple pods optimized for different frequency bands have significant advantages in attacking specific types of electronic threats and systems.

A new electronic pod mounted beneath the fuselage of the US EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft

Why did the United States take the lead in noticing the J-16D among the many equipment at the Zhuhai Air Show? Experts have stated that professional electronic warfare attacks can provide comprehensive electromagnetic suppression of enemy air defense systems and combat units in the form of air formations or individual attacks, and carry out anti radiation strikes, which can be said to be a "multiplier" of the air force's combat power. Previously, only the US military EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft had electromagnetic attack, electronic surveillance, communication countermeasures, electronic countermeasures, anti-interference and anti radiation strike, and air combat capabilities, claiming to be the "trump card" of the US military's global dominance, and its importance was even no less than that of stealth fighter jets. Now that the J-16D has made its debut at the Zhuhai Air Show, it indicates that the model has been installed in the Chinese Air Force, filling a "shortcoming" of the Chinese Air Force.

Schematic diagram of the US military's envisioned coordinated operation of electronic warfare aircraft with stealth fighters such as F-22 and F-35

The J-16D is an improved version of the J-16 heavy multi-purpose fighter, with advantages such as long range, strong maneuverability, high payload capacity, and great potential for upgrades. However, in order to have strong electronic jamming capabilities, the J-16D also paid a certain price, such as canceling the 30mm cannon and infrared electro-optical search device, and reducing the radar size. The J-16 originally had 12 weapon pylons, while the J-16D needs to carry 6 electronic warfare pods and at least 2 weapon pylons to carry anti radiation missiles. As a result, the J-16D can only carry up to 4 air-to-air missiles and does not have machine guns, which seems to have insufficient firepower.

However, it is precisely this type of fighter jet with insufficient firepower that can make the US Air Force feel fearful. As early as 2018, the American magazine "National Interest" published an article titled "Forget China's stealth fighter: This is the fighter that the Air Force should fear". American experts analyzed the possibility of converting the J-16 into an electronic fighter in advance, and the article believed that the J-16D was faster and more flexible, and could accompany the J-20 on missions. The J-16D is capable of attacking radar that poses a threat to friendly fighter jets and implementing long-term radio suppression over the battlefield.

The reason why the US Air Force is afraid of the J-16D is because the US Air Force has not yet developed a model that can compete with it. The US Air Force currently does not have professional jet electronic fighters, only 18 old CH-130 electronic jamming aircraft. These propeller electronic jamming aircraft lack sufficient speed to keep up with the US jet fighters, and the CH-130 lacks self-defense capabilities and cannot approach the front line to carry out missions. Although the US Navy is equipped with the EA-18G "Growler" electronic fighter, there is a strong competitive relationship between the US Air Force and the US Navy, and the senior management of the US Air Force is unwilling to equip this electronic fighter with "naval bloodline".

In the internal exercises of the US military, the Navy's EA-18G shot down the US Air Force's F-22 stealth fighter, proving that jet electronic fighters can indeed pose a substantial threat to fifth generation fighter jets. The EA-18G of the US military, due to its limited internal fuel capacity, needs to be equipped with two additional auxiliary fuel tanks, so it can only carry five electronic warfare pods, and its electronic jamming capability is not as good as the J-16D. If the EA-18G can shoot down the F-22, it means that the J-16D can also shoot down the US Air Force's flagship fighter jets.

In addition, the J-16D will not fight alone and will receive cover from other fighter jets during missions. Four air-to-air missiles are sufficient for the J-16D to defend itself. At present, it seems that the J-16 is the most suitable model for retrofitting into an electronic fighter jet. After carrying the necessary electronic pods, the J-16D can still carry 2 anti radiation missiles, 4 air-to-air missiles, and ensure sufficient hovering time; However, medium fighter jets like the J-10, equipped with electronic pods and auxiliary fuel tanks, can only carry a maximum of two missiles. (Global Network)