Perhaps because it was stimulated by China's launch of intercontinental missiles, in order to give China a dismount in the backhand, the United States Air Force also showed off its muscles in a high-profile manner. According to the website of the United States magazine The National Interest, the United States Air Force recently conducted exercises at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. During this period, the United States Air Force dispatched the strongest F-22 "Raptor" fighter in service and posed for an "elephant walk" to demonstrate its impressive capabilities. Although only more than 20 F-22s were dispatched, the US media was extremely excited, saying that this strategic deterrence would make China "panic"!
The so-called "elephant walk" is to have a large number of fighters line up and take off one by one, which is a key step in tactical deployment if it is wartime. And in peacetime, this kind of tactical action is to show military strength, form a kind of strategic deterrence, and let the opponent know that his ability is terrifying! After all, the fighter itself is very large, and the related tactical actions are accompanied by the roar of the machine, and the scene is indeed very shocking, comparable to a Hollywood blockbuster. The U.S. military's dispatch of F-22s to engage in "elephant walking" is undoubtedly aimed at the PLA. After all, in the eyes of the US media, the F-22 is the world's most cutting-edge fighter, and the assembly of more than 20 fighters has made this deterrent capability even more important.
Objectively speaking, the United States began the development of the F-22 as early as the 80s of the 20th century, and this epoch-making fighter shocked the world when it first appeared. As the world's first fifth-generation fighter, its advent announced the official entry into the era of stealth fighters and created a new era. However, due to the use of a large number of advanced technologies, the cost of the F-22 is too high, coupled with the change in the military strategy of the United States, there has been a miscalculation of the future development of the military industry of various countries. As a result, the United States Air Force initially planned to purchase 750 Raptor fighters, but ultimately only 187 were built. After that, the United States dismantled the production line of the F-22 and began to work on the cheaper F-35.
Although the F-22 is still the "important weapon of the country" of the US military, the era of deterring China with just over 20 F-22s has passed. Since the People's Liberation Army (PLA) installed the J-20, even Western military experts, who have always been arrogant, have to admit that China has not been left behind in the field of fifth-generation aircraft. From the point of view of basic performance, the J-20 is not inferior to the F-22 and F-35 of the US military at all. Especially after replacing the turbofan-15 engine, the United States also has to admit that the new J-20 has completely surpassed the F-22. It can be said that the emergence of the J-20 has directly impacted the hegemony of the US military in the field of stealth fighters. Now China and the United States are no longer the only ones in the comparison of air power.
Speaking of the scale of the fifth-generation fighter, although the F-35 is currently the most mass-produced fifth-generation fighter in the world, it has many design flaws, and various flight accidents and technical failures abound. As for the F-22 that was dismantled from the production line, it has also been finalized for a long time, and there are only a limited number of them. On the other hand, the number of J-20s in the Chinese Air Force has reached hundreds, and the production capacity is still increasing. Especially in terms of upgrading and improving the J-20, as an "evolution" that continues to optimize and upgrade, the J-20 still has a lot of potential to be tapped. From this point of view, the comparison between the F-22 and the J-20 is like the comparison between an old man who has entered his twilight years and a young man who is young and high-spirited. In this way, the so-called "elephant walk" has no deterrent effect at all.
China is not a small country with weak military strength, and it will never be intimidated by any military deterrence. If it is placed in the past, the "elephant walk" made by the F-22 may have some deterrent power, but in today's comprehensive rise of the J-20, such a display is more of a psychological tactic, or the self-comfort of the United States. With the use of advanced fighters such as the J-20 and J-35, the position of the Chinese Air Force in the field of stealth fighters has become increasingly solid.
In the long run, the future air battle between China and the United States will be more important than the system confrontation, which involves the application of various special aircraft such as early warning aircraft and tankers, as well as the construction of ground command systems and integrated military networks. At present, the U.S. military is still the most powerful military in the world, and in air warfare, the U.S. military has established a huge combat network, while China is gradually building its own information-based combat system. In terms of comprehensive confrontation with multiple elements such as informatization, electronic warfare, and cyber warfare, China is also gradually making up for its shortcomings, and has surpassed it in some specific areas. In the future, China and the United States will continue to compete in systematic warfare, and the so-called "elephant walk" can only be child's play for self-amusement.