China counterattacks with ‘fake fighter jets’ against America’s cutting-edge aircraft carrier power

Preparing to deploy a carrier-based aircraft imitating the U.S. F-35C… The power struggle between the US and China in the Western Pacific heats up

The Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier ‘Abraham Lincoln’ quietly departed from the San Diego Naval Base in the western United States on February 5 (local time). At the time of her departure, the Lincoln aircraft carrier was fully loaded with her aircraft. After departing port, these forces conducted anti-surface warfare tactical training (SWATT) in the 3rd Fleet jurisdictional area between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii and returned to their home port on February 16. SWATT is one of the exercises conducted by aircraft carrier battle groups prior to overseas deployment. Normally, after SWATT, the entire aircraft carrier group gathers and conducts mission pre-deployment training (COMPTUEX) for a month before setting off on a mission. The fact that the Lincoln aircraft carrier has completed SWATT means that this aircraft carrier group will be deployed overseas around late March.

Preparations for the Lincoln aircraft carrier group’s departure are significantly ahead of schedule. The United States operates the 7th Fleet forward-deployed aircraft carrier ‘Ronald Reagan’ in the Western Pacific. Here, another aircraft carrier will be deployed in place of Reagan in time for maintenance. It is a cyclical operation method of aircraft carrier power. The deployment of the ‘Carl Vinson’ aircraft carrier battle group in October last year was in line with the Reagan aircraft carrier’s maintenance schedule. The ‘Theodore Roosevelt’ aircraft carrier, Carl Vinson’s replacement force, which should have been deployed in April of this year as scheduled, was suddenly deployed in January, three months early. The Lincoln aircraft carrier, which was scheduled to arrive in October of this year due to Roosevelt’s replacement, is already preparing for deployment.

The attention of the domestic and international media focused on the early departure of the Lincoln aircraft carrier as a signal for the ‘largest aircraft carrier assembly since World War II’. This spring, the Korean general election and Taiwan’s presidential inauguration are scheduled to take place one after another. The prevailing analysis is that the United States will mobilize its aircraft carrier strike group on the largest scale as there is a high possibility that high-intensity military provocations from China or North Korea will occur during this period. The number of aircraft carriers mobilized at this time is 5 regular aircraft carriers such as Carl Vinson, Ronald Reagan, Theodore Roosevelt, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, 2 light aircraft carriers such as America and Boxer, and a total of 9 aircraft including France’s Charles de Gaulle and Italy’s Cavor. If two Japanese light aircraft carriers capable of operating F-35B aircraft are added, an unprecedented aircraft carrier force of 11 aircraft will be gathered in the Pacific. However, there is a ‘detail’ that needs to be paid attention to rather than the concentration of aircraft carrier power itself. The point is that the Lincoln aircraft carrier’s aircraft composition is very different from before.

The composition of the Lincoln aircraft carrier battle group has not yet been officially announced, but some of its power was revealed in the recently conducted SWATT. The Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyers Michael Murphy and Spruance were assigned as frigates, and the 9th Carrier Air Wing (CVW-9) was confirmed as the air force. In this SWATT, the 14th Fighter Attack Squadron (VFA-14, F/A-18E), 41st Fighter Attack Squadron (VFA-41, F/A-18F), and 151st Fighter Attack Squadron (VFA-151, F/A) Most of the squadrons that make up CVW-9, including the 314th Marine Combat Attack Squadron (VMFA-314, F-35C), and the 133rd Electronic Warfare Attack Squadron (VAQ-133, EA-18G), participated. Of particular note here are VMFA-314 and VAQ-133.

VMFA-314, which began its transition to the F-35C stealth fighter in 2019, is, as its name suggests, a Marine Corps squadron and is assigned to the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier battle group in a dispatched form. It is the fastest unit in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to achieve full F-35C fighter operational capability (FOC) and has 12 F-35C fighters. In 2022, he was assigned to the Lincoln aircraft carrier battle group and gained experience in overseas deployment for the first time.

American F-35C fighter jet. [미 해군 제공]

The F-35C, which will be organized into one squadron for each U.S. aircraft carrier group deployed overseas starting in 2022, is the strongest ship-based fighter aircraft in existence. While the current main ship-borne fighter F/A-18E/F is a 4.5 generation model, the F-35C is a 5 generation stealth fighter. It has powerful performance that surpasses the existing model in all aspects. While the combat radius of the F/A-18E/F is up to 722km, the range of the F-35C is 1,100km. The wider the combat action radius of the aircraft carrier, the larger the striking range of the aircraft carrier’s battle group. In addition, the F-35C is capable of aerial refueling, making it possible to strike the Chinese coast outside the range of Chinese anti-ship ballistic missiles.

The F-35’s greatest strength is that it is a 5th generation fighter. The 5th generation fighter jet has strong stealth performance, making it difficult for enemies to detect it from a distance. The F/A-18E/F also has a relatively small radar cross section (RCS) among fighters of the same weight class, but it can be detected from hundreds of kilometers away by Chinese aircraft carrier strike fighters or air defense destroyer radars. In addition, the operational radius is only half that of the Chinese J-15 fighter, and the range of the mounted air-to-air weapon is also short. It is difficult for the U.S. aircraft carrier group to gain an overwhelming advantage over the Chinese aircraft carrier group by operating only F/A-18E/F aircraft.

On the other hand, the F-35C has powerful stealth performance that allows it to approach Chinese aircraft carriers at close range without being detected by fighter jets and air defense destroyer radars. In particular, the high-performance AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar mounted on the F-35C has a cutting-edge low-obviousness (LPI) design. Even if you target Chinese fighter jets and warships with this radar, it is very difficult for the other party to notice. They can sneak up on the Chinese aircraft carrier before they are even aware of it, deal a fatal blow, and easily escape.

The F-35C has a wide internal weapon bay (IWB) and has excellent attack power. This is in contrast to the F-35B, which had a narrow interior space due to the additional engine for vertical takeoff and landing. In particular, the F-35C belonging to VMFA-314 is a block 3F specification, so it can be equipped with four AIM-120C medium-range air-to-air missiles, two AIM-120Cs, or two AGM-154 JSOWs on the IWB. JSOW can attack moving targets at sea with a glide guided bomb with a range of 120 km. It contains a high penetrating bomb BLU-111 inside, so if it hits the deck of an aircraft carrier, it can penetrate several floors and explode at the bottom, causing fatal injuries. The Lincoln aircraft carrier group is capable of penetrating the Chinese aircraft carrier group air defense network and delivering a fatal blow by mobilizing only 12 assigned F-35C fighters.

The EA-18G Growler electronic warfare attack aircraft belonging to the 133rd Electronic Warfare Attack Squadron (VAQ-133) also appeared with different armament from the existing model. So far, the EA-18G has been using the ALQ-99 electronic warfare jammer, which was applied from the previous generation electronic warfare EA-6B Prowler. On the other hand, the VAQ-133 Growlers assigned to the Lincoln aircraft carrier battle group this time were all equipped with the next-generation electronic warfare equipment ALQ-249, also known as NGJ-MB. Although the current ALQ-99 has been around for a long time, it is still considered to have the world’s best electronic warfare capabilities thanks to continuous improvements. This equipment disables enemy radar, allowing allies to launch a one-sided attack. Thanks to this, the Growler won against the world’s strongest fighter, the F-22A Raptor, in a mock air battle in 2007.

The NGJ-MB, an upgrade over the ALQ-99, is a state-of-the-art equipment that integrates U.S. electronic warfare technology. Multiple radars using various frequencies can be disabled at the same time. The jamming distance is also known to be around 400km, three times that of existing equipment. Without the need to launch all aircraft, the Lincoln aircraft carrier group can blind the eyes and ears of the Chinese aircraft carrier group by sending only 4 Growlers from VAQ-133 and 12 F-35Cs from VMFA-314 and then launch a unilateral attack.

Chinese aircraft carrier ‘Liaoning’. [뉴시스]

China also realized that its aircraft carriers were weaker in performance than American aircraft carriers and began to prepare countermeasures. However, in early February, a surprising change was detected regarding the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning, which was undergoing repairs in Dalian, Liaoning Province. The Liaoning, which was considered a ‘obsolete’ aircraft carrier that China purchased and remodeled from an unfinished aircraft carrier from the former Soviet Union, is undergoing extensive repair work. It is also significant that circumstances have been captured showing that preparations are being made to mount the next-generation stealth fighter FC-31 instead of the old J-15 as a ship-borne fighter.

The J-15 is a type of mutant aircraft made by China. When they could not secure the original Russian Su-33, they smuggled in the prototype T-10K-3 remaining in Ukraine, reverse-engineered it, and combined it with the flight control system of the J-11 (China-produced Su-27). Due to this ‘secret of birth’, serious problems with flight stability were revealed several times from the beginning of J-15 deployment. In the end, China has been putting a lot of effort into correcting the flaws of this fighter jet until recently. Recently, the J-15’s radar and electronic equipment were replaced with new models, and an electronic and electric derivative similar to the American Growler also appeared. However, no matter how much the J-15 is improved, it is difficult to say that it is superior to the US F/A-18E/F in terms of overall performance, excluding the combat radius. Against this background, China’s STOBAR (Short-Off-Range and Forced Landing) aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong, which operate the J-15, were evaluated as absolutely inferior to regular US aircraft carriers. However, a new Chinese naval aircraft has appeared that can turn this situation around.

Chinese FC-31 fighter jet. [키피디아]

The FC-31 is the “Chinese version of the F-35,” which former U.S. President Donald Trump pointed out as “made by stealing F-35 technology.” It is smaller and lighter than the J-15, so it can be mounted more heavily on the Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers. Additionally, because it is a stealth fighter, its overall performance is evaluated to be superior to that of the J-15. China began repair work on the Liaoning aircraft carrier in Dalian in September last year. Even in mid-February, large-scale construction to repair the deck, island, elevator, etc. appears to be underway. The reason China is overhauling the Liaoning aircraft carrier is because major hull equipment, including the flight deck, needs to be modified to fit the new aircraft carrier FC-31.

China has been training new types of aircraft carriers by building a 1:1 full-size aircraft carrier test facility in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and a carrier aircraft transfer and landing test site at Huangdichun Base, Liaoning Province. These facilities were created to shorten the test operation period when a new aircraft is released. Tests of the electro-electric version of the J-15 and the FC-31 have been conducted here since 2020. Therefore, once the Liaoning aircraft carrier’s renovation work is completed, it appears that the FC-31 will soon be able to operate without long preparations. This means that stealth fighters will take off and land from the Liaoning aircraft carrier as early as the second half of this year, or at the latest next year. In the near future, when China launches an aircraft carrier carrying stealth fighters and a ‘Chinese version of the Growler’ into the sea, it will compete with the US aircraft carrier strike group deployed in the Western Pacific, also equipped with new stealth fighters and electronic warfare equipment. To what extent can the ‘counterfeit F-35’ and the ‘Chinese version of the Growler’ exert their power against America’s original forces?

[이 기사는 주간동아 1428호에 실렸습니다]

Shin In-gyun, CEO of Independent Defense Network

Source: Donga

Mark

Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.