In the global fighter market, China's Thunder fighter was once known as a leader in excellent performance. However, in recent years, despite the advanced technical parameters, the international sales of the Thunder fighter have repeatedly suffered setbacks. From Argentina to Malaysia to the United Arab Emirates, hundreds of millions of dollars in orders continued to fall into the hands of the United States and South Korea. Why is that?
The Thunder fighter, a fighter that was originally quite technologically advanced, has suffered a series of sales setbacks in the international market in recent years. Let's start from the beginning to uncover the truth about the international sales dilemma of the Thunder fighter.
First of all, we must understand some of the technical highlights of the Thunder fighter. The Thunder fighter is equipped with a third-generation gallium nitride device active phased array radar, which has obvious technical advantages compared with the second-generation gallium arsenide device radar used by the F22, F35 and other fighters in the United States. This radar is not only small in size, high in accuracy and low in power consumption, but also has a strong anti-jamming ability, and the transmission power is about 10 times that of the opponent.
In addition, the air-to-air missiles of the Thunder fighter are also very advanced, and the maximum range of the Thunderbolt 15 export version reaches 145 kilometers, far exceeding similar products in the West. In terms of technical parameters, the Thunder fighter undoubtedly has a certain competitiveness.
The technological advantage did not translate into market success, and in the 2013 Argentine bid for fighter jets, the Thunder lost to the used F-16. Later, in Malaysia's fighter procurement, Malaysia chose South Korea's FA-50 light attack aircraft. In the UAE's missile bid, South Korea's product won again.
Despite the technological breakthrough of the Thunder fighter, the Russian-made RD-93 engine it carries has become a big problem. Although this kind of engine met the power demand of the time, it also brought high energy consumption and serious heat generation problems at the same time, and required a strong cooling system to support, which limited its maneuverability to a certain extent.
In the international market, the actual combat capability of the Thunder fighter has also been questioned. As a light aircraft, its weight reaches 8 tons, which has a certain impact on its maneuverability, payload and range.
In 2023, Argentina wants to purchase a batch of third-generation aircraft, and the Thunder fighter was a strong bidder. However, due to Britain's political obstruction, South Korea's FA50 fighter program was forced to suspend it, and the Thunder fighter seemed to have a chance. In the end, Argentina still failed to choose the Thunder, and instead bought an upgraded version of the second-hand F-16, a decision directly related to the UK's export restrictions on some equipment used by Argentina.
In addition, the impact of international politics cannot be ignored. Purchases of military equipment on a global scale often involve complex geopolitical factors. For example, the dispute over the Malvinas Islands (Falkland Islands) between Argentina and the United Kingdom, as well as the influence of the United States around the world, directly or indirectly influenced the purchase decision.
China's marketing strategy for foreign military sales is also slightly inadequate compared to that of its competitors. For example, in addition to the technical competitiveness of the FA-50 in South Korea, the South Korean government and enterprises also provide a complete service package including training, logistics support and financial loans, which greatly increase the attractiveness of its products.
In addition, user feedback and market trust have also had an impact on the sales of Thunder fighters. Despite its technological superiority, the Thunder has yet to build a reputation in the market for combat effectiveness and reliability. In stark contrast, the F-16 and other Western fighters enjoy a high level of market trust due to their long combat history and extensive base of use.
Faced with such market challenges, Chinese Thunder fighter manufacturers need to improve in several aspects. The first is to improve the overall performance of the product, especially in terms of engine technology and heat dissipation. Secondly, strengthen the marketing strategy in the international market and provide a better customer service and support system. Finally, by participating in more international exercises and actual combat, the actual combat reputation of the fighter and the trust of users will be enhanced.
Whether the future of the Thunder fighter can reverse the decline in the international market requires manufacturers and relevant government departments to face challenges together and respond to market doubts with practical actions and achievements. This will be a long-term and arduous task, but it will also be an important step in enhancing the international status of China's military products.