Stig1207, Ivan, I am replying on this thread so as to avoid continuing to derail this one.
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Maybe 20,000 sorties period, including all the Sm.79s and Cant 506s and everything, then maybe? Even then it seems a stretch.
It's a confusion between the argument or point you were making (if you were making one - it still isn't entirely clear) and the one Ivan was making that the Axis opposition in the MTO was sub-
I assumed you posted the additional planes( bf110 etc.) in relationship to the p40s faced inferior oposition narrative since that is what we were discussing.You've lost me now ?
Crazy me I guess.
Looks like they made a pointy nosed version of this one
Found this article about the P51 Mustang
https://www.dau.edu/library/arj/ARJ/arj56/Haggerty_ARJ56.pdf
Yup the J-8II (I don't have a picture of one!), they even got US help with the avionics and glass cockpit etc, but Tiannanmen Square in 1989 put paid to foreign assistance and the project lagged. The Chinese then focussed on developing the J-10 fighter and acquiring manufacturing of the Sukhoi Su-27 as the original J-8 design was by the early 90s a bit old and even though it had entered service, it was no match for the US fighters being supplied to its allies in Japan, S Korea and Taiwan.
You seem to know a lot about PLA warplanes. What is your assessment of their current air fighting capabilities?
Aww ta. I know nothing more than what can be found out through usual sources. Regarding China's modern capabilities, I'd be worried! The Chinese are playing catch up rather quickly and although this might mean qualitatively they don't have an edge yet, numerically they build very quickly what they have. The J-20 is an impressive achievement not to be scoffed at, but it is still hampered by the engine manufacturers not being able to get the big power out of the Lyulka Saturn based engines, so they are flying around with lower powered engines than they were designed for.
Also, we don't really know anything about its avionics, nor its exact weapons carriage capabilities. It is also only 'stealthy' from the front on aspect, look at those big exhaust nozzles. Nevertheless, it is a threat not to be dismissed in the long run.
Continuing production and development of the Tu-16 bomber is something that still surprises the west, but the latest variant, the H-6K is a capable cruise missile platform, which in operation from the disputed Nine Dash Line islands the Chinese have built would pose a serious threat to any hostile navies in the region. Again, avionics for these aircraft are not known comprehensively, but it's safe to assume the Chinese have perfected miniaturising digital electronics, so it's probably best not to presume too much.
The best use for a former nuclear bomber I've seen - the centrepiece for a go-cart track! Xian H-6.
View attachment 555986Xian H-6
By the way, all these photos included with these posts are mine.
the alternative is fleets of more or less mediocre bombers (and a few more impressive ones) festooned with dozens of very fast, very potent cruise-missiles.
Does mention as a stretch using another engine..changing it from a CAS Dive Bomber into a the best full fledge fighter manufactured.Does it mention stretching the fuselage or extending the wings?
It kinda works though, it's a cheap(er) and effective means of power projection. Look at Russian heavy cruisers of the Soviet era, they crammed missiles all over their big ships giving them a formidable capability. It's only natural the Chinese would go down this path; the US carrier fleet is an astounding capability, but one that has its vulnerabilities, such as a massed attack by supersonic cruise missiles launched from sea and air assets combined. Not to mention their sheer expense, which means only the US can really field such a force in numbers.