F-22 Raptor Takes Out Shaanxi KJ-500

3/13/2023

If the United States and China were to face off in the South China Sea, it would be vitally important to US success to take out the Chinese version of our AWACS known as the Shaanxi KJ-500. To do that, the Raptor would have to slip behind a forward screen of J-20 and soon-to-be J-31 fifth-generation stealth fighters.

The Importance of Avionics and Stealth in Standoff "Dogfights"

At the end of this blog is a test to determine how many planes you can successfully identify (no, just kidding, because as you will see, the Chinese planes that were manufactured years after the US planes are copycats, but not bad copycats). Since all the confrontations will be non-visual 20–30-mile standoff "dogfights," the plane with the best avionics and stealth pattern will win.

Radar Cross Section Comparison: F-22 Raptor vs. J-20 and J-31

As of this date, the Raptor has an RCS (radar cross section) of .0001 square meters compared to the .1 to 5 square meter RCS of the J-20. The J-31, which will be the Chinese answer to the US carrier-based F-35C, comes in at about .9 to 5 square meters for an RCS. So let's look at the planes. All photos are from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, or PLA.

Anyone who can identify all the planes gets a free copy of Armageddon, Book III of the First Strike series.