Universal Intelligence

It has been reported that China is catching up to the United States (U.S.) regarding air dominance, having obtained classified information on advanced fighter jets like the U.S. F-22 and F-35. However, it is essential to realize that the superiority of U.S. aircraft does not solely rely on stealth, speed, or agility. In today’s era of air dominance, stealth has lost some of its significance and is primarily utilized in first-strike tactics. These approaches are only effective against nations that lack the proper technology to detect incoming aircraft and are only used in extreme circumstances, such as neutralizing a nuclear plant in Iran.  In a conventional war, stealth would not be advantageous as, after detection, an adversary is unlikely to lose track of a stealth aircraft. Furthermore, stealth aircraft would only be successful once an adversary’s integrated air defense (IAD) systems are defeated, as evident in the Gulf War and, more recently, the Iraq War. Stealth aircraft would not serve much of a purpose in air-to-air combat. Instead, they would be more successful in defeating command and control and essential military and civilian infrastructure.

The actual reason for U.S. superiority lies in their aircraft’s engine and fuel efficiency. This factor is more important than stealth in a conventional war as it allows for more extended range, more sorties, and uncontested air presence. The ability to keep flying without being constrained by weight, fuel, and limitations of their engine, for example, needing heavy maintenance, allows U.S. aircraft to stay in the air at a high rate compared to many other nations. Although China has similar-looking aircraft, they do not perform nearly as comparable to their U.S. counterparts. On average, U.S. aircraft can fly twice the sorties and 500 miles more than Chinese aircraft.

^{(This only focuses on aircraft superiority.)}