The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has stepped up its efforts to replace aging fighter jets with top-of-the-line J-16 fighters, according to reports in Chinese media. The advanced aircraft has most recently been deployed in Tibet and Xinjiang, meaning all five PLA commands are now using it.
One of China's newest fighters is being rapidly integrated into front-line air forces, allowing the PLAAF to phase out older aircraft like the J-7 and J-8, both of which are based on updated versions of the 1950s-era MiG-21, built by the Soviet Union.
"Chinese old generation military aircraft like the J-7 and J-8 are not enough to deal with the increasing security challenges around its periphery," Fu Qianshao, a retired PLAAF equipment specialist, was quoted as saying in Chinese media on Friday.
"Aircraft replacement is not taking place just in the western border, as China needs more long-range advanced warplanes to deal with increasing provocations from the United States and its allies in the South and East China seas, where the PLA’s key strategic focuses are," he added.
The J-16 is one of numerous aircraft derived from the Sukhoi Su-27, many of which form the backbone of the Chinese air forces. The J-16 is the newest member of the family, entering service in 2016 with a host of advanced equipment, including AESA radar, long-range missiles, and in the newest D-variant, electronic warfare capabilities. It can serve as both a strike aircraft and an interceptor.
Although it is considered a 4.5-generation aircraft, the J-16 is intended to be a key partner for China’s fifth-generation J-20, a true stealth aircraft, in future air operations. The PLAAF has already built at least 245 J-16s, with reported intentions to obtain at least 300 to meet anticipated threats from the United States and its allies in the region.
As such, China’s J-16 is easily the equal of the US’ F-15 Eagle fighter jets and could pose a threat to stealth aircraft like the F-35, too.
The J-16 has been spotted across China’s eastern commands in recent years, including near Taiwan, but the most recent news shows the strike jet being deployed in the west, where Chinese troops have been engaged in violent exchanges with Indian forces in the high-altitude Ladakh region along their ill-defined border.
In the event of a shooting war with India, the J-16 would find itself facing advanced aircraft from the US, Europe, and even Russia, including Sukhoi Su-30s, Dassault Rafales, Lockheed Martin F-16s, and the indigenously-designed HAL Tejas. India has also incorporated Russia’s advanced S-400 air defense system into its military, which would be a potent threat to the J-16.
"Increased air activity by [the] Chinese is being monitored. We have increased the presence of radars and air defense networks. Appropriate non-escalator measures have been taken in time," Indian Air Force Chief V. R. Chaudhary told Indian media in October, adding that the IAF was “expediting the operationalization of recently inducted systems,” including S-400 and Rafale.
https://sputniknews.com/20230120/china-replacing-aging-fighter-jets-with-advanced-j-16s-in-all-five-theater-commands-report-says-1106533732.htmlA similar dynamic is in play in the South and East China Seas, where US military forces have stepped up their presence in recent years amid claims Beijing has expansionist ambitions in the region. Washington has in particular begun selling new jets to Taiwan, an autonomous island Beijing considers to be a Chinese province in rebellion, as well as upgrading their existing fleet of F-16s. The PLAAF has used J-16s for naval patrols and to provide other aircraft, including their powerful Xi'an H-6 bombers, with a screen of electronic jamming during their patrols across the waterways.
While trafficking young girls, he was also part of an effort to export military-grade systems to governments around the world
Rachel Marsden
By Rachel Marsden, a columnist, political strategist, and host of independently produced talk-shows in French and English.
rachelmarsden.com
When I first moved to New York, I walked into my new dentist’s office and genuinely wondered whether I’d accidentally wandered into a Victoria’s Secret audition.
The waiting room was full of stunning young women. Eventually I learned the dentist shared space with a modeling agency. You couldn’t tell who was getting veneers and who was getting a contract until you were halfway down the hallway.
Jeffrey Epstein’s life operated on the same architectural principle: two businesses shoved into one building, one involving underaged girls, the other involving powerful political figures, including some tied to the Israeli government. Not exactly whitening trays and catwalks, but equally disorienting.
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The bloc wants to use the funds to back a “reparation loan” to Ukraine
US officials want the EU to return Russia’s frozen assets once it signs a peace deal with Ukraine, contradicting the bloc's plans to use them to finance Kiev, Politico reported on Tuesday, citing diplomats.
EU leaders want to issue a €140 billion ($160 billion) “reparations loan” to Kiev using frozen Russian funds as collateral, despite opposition from bloc member Belgium, which has repeatedly warned that the scheme carries financial and legal risks.
According to the outlet, American officials told the EU’s sanctions envoy, David O’Sullivan, during a visit to Washington this summer that they planned to return Russia’s frozen assets after a peace treaty is concluded.
Under the purported US 28-point peace plan leaked to media in November, $100 billion in frozen Russian assets would be invested in American-led “efforts to rebuild.....more below
Paris has authorized the use of private military companies to provide assistance to third countries, the SVR noted
France is still exploring ways to directly involve itself in the Ukraine conflict, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has said, citing a new government decree that authorizes the use of private military companies to assist foreign states engaged in armed conflict.
The agency claimed there is little ambiguity about which country France has in mind, given its sustained backing of Kiev. It argued that Ukraine’s mobile air-defense units and limited Western aircraft cannot fully counter Russian strikes, and that operating French-made Mirage fighter jets and other advanced systems requires expertise Ukraine does not possess.
The SVR stressed that the presence of French private military companies in Ukraine under the guise of “reference operators” would be regarded by Moscow as direct engagement by Paris in hostilities. It has also warned that such personnel ...
