I couldn't tell you what publication it was but I was thumbing through a British aviation mag at the local Barnes & Noble and there was an article about China's ongoing attempts at modernizing it's combat air fleet. In the article, a Chinese official announced that China was 10 years or so from fielding its own, home-grown gen-5 fighter aircraft. There was a photo of a mock-up and it looked suspiciously like the Northrup F-23.
China is most likely receiving help (France, Russia, Israel), but this doesn't diminish its accomplishments. It's not like the U.S. develops its hi-tech systems in a vacuum. Bottom line is, the Chinese are rapidly improving their strategic and operational capabilities. As I said before, the Chinese are building their military for large-scale conventional conflicts, while the U.S. is not. Who will be better prepared for a war in the East Asian theatre in 10-20 years? If current trends continue, I'd put my money on the Chinese.
Don't get me wrong. I'm proud of my country's military. I've been a big fan since I was a boy. My dad's side of the family are all vets and my brother's carrying on the tradition in the USN. What bothers me is when people underestimate other nations. That's the one of the cardinal sins of any strategist. Writing off the Chinese is not a good idea. Hubris has deep-sixed many a great power. I don't want to see the West make that mistake vis-a-vis China.
|