By Li Weijian and Cheng Xu
The year 2021 has seen frequent military hotspots and release of new weapons and equipment. Some of them are forward-looking and innovative, some wrap up hurriedly in embarrassment, and some have aroused close attention for their attempt to counter and check other countries. Generally speaking, weapons and equipment are becoming more systematic, intelligent and precise.
1. ROK’s new-generation fighter jet rolls out
On April 9, ROK’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) held a rollout ceremony for the new-generation fighter jet KF-21 at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) located in Sacheon, Gyeongsangnam-do. ROK President Moon Jae-in called the fighter a milestone in the country’s aerospace industry when addressing the ceremony.
The first prototype of ROK’s KF-X program, the KF-21 fighter jet was originally benchmarked against the fifth-generation fighter but later reduced to 4.5th-generation. Bearing much resemblance to America’s F-22 in appearance, KF-21 adopts the conventional aerodynamic layout, twin vertical tails, and twin engines with a maximal velocity of Mach 1.8. Featuring a no-weapon-bay design, the fighter jet carries weapons and other payloads on its pylons, hence has only partial stealth capability. The first batch of mass-production products is only capable of air-to-air combat while follow-up batches will be able to carry out air-to-ground attacks.
ROK has high hopes for the KF-X program, claiming that KF-21 is the most advanced independently-developed fighter in Asia, whereas in fact it is called an “assembled product” deriving from the western aviation industry chain as it uses lots of imported equipment and devices, such as America’s F414 turbofan engine and Europe’s Meteor air-to-air missile. It would have been come out much later but for the support from the US and Europe.
2. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier deployed overseas for the first time.
Britain’s carrier strike group, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, set out from the Port of Portsmouth on May 23 for the seven-month combat deployment in the Asian-Pacific region.
The largest aircraft carrier in British history, HMS Queen Elizabeth is considered the hope to restore the UK as a power on the sea. The British military attached so much importance to the overseas deployment that it almost cleared out the entire Royal Navy. The taskforce consisted of two Type 45 destroyers, two Type 23 frigates, an Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, comprehensive supply ships and fuel supply ships, together with destroyers and frigates from the US and the Netherlands. As Britain’s carrier-based aircraft hasn’t formed combat capability yet, HMS Queen Elizabeth was fitted with 18 “borrowed” F-35B fighters.
Despite the high hopes pinned on the fleet, its Asian-Pacific voyage wasn’t as smooth as expected. First of all, it didn’t set out until May this year because of several postponements caused by carrier leakage. Then, soon after it set out, a destroyer trespassed into Russia’s territorial waters in the Black Sea and was warned by bomb-dropping from a Russian Su-24M fighter. Later, the two Type 45 destroyers left the fleet one after another because of malfunction. The fleet made several mistakes during the multilateral joint exercise. To top it all off, an F-35B fighter dropped into the sea when taking off on the way back.
Nevertheless, the British Royal Navy highly commented on this voyage. The head of the carrier fleet said that after the Asian-Pacific tour, the Royal Navy will regularly deploy two patrol ships in the region and send an amphibious force to be resident there in 2023. However, given the Royal Navy’s shrinking capacity in recent years, whether the plan of regular deployment will come through remains uncertain.
3. Russia’s fifth-generation light fighter jet unveiled
The prototype of Russia’s fifth-generation light fighter jet Su-75 Checkmate made its debut at the Moscow International Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS) in July.
The Su-75 is a single-engine lightweight stealth fighter launched by Russia on the basis of Su-57 to replace MiG-29 and match with Su-57 in a “light-heavy” duet. The new aircraft features a body length of 17.3m, wingspan of 11.9m, combat radius of 1,400km, max. flying velocity of Mach 1.8, and max. combat load of 7.4t. The three embedded weapons bay can carry air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles and bombs. The nose is mounted with Active Phased Array Radar (APAR) and infrared search and track (IRST) system, and the operating system in the cabin is equipped with an AI-assisted decision-making system. Overall, Su-75 is superior to Su-57 in terms of flying performance and stealth performance.
According to Sukhoi Design Bureau, Su-75, with a manufacturing cost of about USD 30 million, is expected to realize mass production in 2026 targeting the international market. Analysts said the aircraft would be appealing to countries armed with Russian fighters for its solid air combat capability and fair price. The aircraft will compete with F-35 in the international arms market.
4. America’s F-35C fighters deployed for real combat
In August, the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group was fitted with F-35C Lightning II for the first time, ushering its ship-based fighters into the fifth-generation era.
The F-35 family comprises F-35A land-based type of regular take-off and landing, F-35B of short-distance/vertical take-off and landing, and F-35C of ship-borne catapult take-off and landing. The last type is the largest and most expensive with the longest combat radius compared with the other two, but it’s also the last to be assembled and commissioned.
The deployment of F-35C for real combat is of great importance for the US Navy. On the one hand, the aircraft can maintain superiority during air combat in complicated scenarios because of its fine stealth performance and situation awareness capability, thus enhancing the carrier taskforce’s control in the sea. On the other hand, the aircraft, once commissioned on a large scale, will bring an inter-generational superiority to America’s carrier-based fleet over that of other countries, thus reinforcing the US Navy’s military deterrence. However, the manufacturing of F-35C has proceeded very slow due to the shortage of engines and other factors, so it won’t be soon before it reaches a large scale.
5. Russia’s Zircon missile finishes submarine test launch
The Russian Defence Ministry announced on October 4 that the Russian Navy successfully test-fired a Zircon hypersonic missile from underwater that day and hit the target precisely, proving the missile’s submarine-launched combat capability.
The Zircon missile is one of the key non-nuclear deterrents that Russia has been focusing on in recent years. Boasting a powerful systematic penetration capability, it has a max. flying speed of Mach 8 and a shooting range of more than 1,000 km. Dubbed as a “carrier killer”, the missile is mainly used to attack large vessel fleets and high-value targets onshore.
The Russian Navy first test-fired the Zircon missile at the end of February 2020 proving that it can be launched from surface to carry out anti-ship operations. The successful submarine-based test launch verified the possibility of launching it from underwater. Russia is also developing the land-based and air-based platform for the missile to gradually set up an all-round strike system.
6. America’s hypersonic missile facilities delivered
The day after Russia completed the submarine-based test launch of its Zircon missile, the US Army announced that it had officially taken over the first set of ground facilities for the “Dark Eagle” long-range hypersonic missile, including a command vehicle and four transport and launch vehicles mainly used for testing and training.
With a design velocity of Mach 5 and max. range of 2,500 km, the Dark Eagle hypersonic missile is a weapon under the US Army’s long-range precise fire strike program. The Army also plans to deploy the first Dark Eagle missile company in FY 2023, followed by a second in 2025 and a third in 2027.
In fact, US Army’s hypersonic weapon program doesn’t proceed so fast. American newspaper Stars and Stripes reported that although part of the ground facilities have been delivered, the missile itself – the most vital part – is lacking. The army said the first Dark Eagle missile company won’t be ready until 2023 at least, which means they can only use simulators for training in the next two years.
7. S-500 system commissioned in Russia’s Aerospace Force
The Russian Aerospace Force officially took over the first batch of S-500 air-defense missile systems in October that will be used to protect the security of Moscow and the industrial zones in the middle of the country.
As the latest air and space defense weapon in Russia, the S-500 system is capable of air defense, space defense, and anti-missile combat. It consists of three modules – early warning detection, fire strike, and command and control, and is equipped with four types of radars and three types of missiles, being able to intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, and low-orbit satellites. In addition to ultra-long-range and ultra-high-altitude interception, the system is also compatible with the interceptors of the S-400 air defense system and can work with such systems as A-235 and S-350 to carry out joint air defense and anti-missile operations effectively.
America’s retreat from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and its plan to deploy medium-range missiles in Europe has seriously threatened Russia’s air and space security. In response, Moscow has continuously intensified its air and space defense forces and established an integrated anti-missile combat system covering high, medium and low altitudes and long, medium, and short ranges. As an important part of this combat system, the commissioning of the S-500 system is of great significance.
8. US releases conceptual drawings of next-generation fighters
The US Air Force and Navy respectively released the conceptual drawings of their next-generation fighter jets in April and October along with details, which revealed the thoughts and framework of their development.
The pre-research for the next-generation fighter began in 2007. In the early stage, US Air Force and Navy made conceptual explorations separately according to their own needs, and gradually developed two parallel programs – F-X and F/A-XX. The released conceptual drawings showed that the Air Force’s F-X fighter highlights air combat superiority, high speed, and stealth and systematic performance, while the Navy’s F/A-XX fighter features twin engines, cropped delta wing, canard, and both manned and unmanned configurations.
The US military is good at conceptual R&D, but developing a cross-generational fighter is a long, systematic process that entails a huge amount of verifications. There is a big question mark over how the conceptual design of their next-generation fighters will proceed going forward.
9. Japan builds new-type anti-ship missile system
Japan took a series of actions on anti-ship missiles early this year. It threw out plans to purchase ASM-3A supersonic anti-ship missile, extend the shooting range of Type 12 surface-to-ship missile (SSM), and to develop stealthy anti-ship missiles with the range of 2,000 km, in the attempt to put in place a new anti-ship missile combat system covering the land, sea and air.
The ASM-3A is the first supersonic air-to-ship missile that Japan will put into service soon. Fitted onboard F-2 fighters, the missile, with a cruise speed of Mach 3 and a range of more than 200 km, boasts a combat performance equivalent to its peer missiles in other countries. The Type 12 SSM is a subsonic anti-ship one with a rather short range, and Japan plans to turn it into a land-attack cruise missile by extending its range to 1,500 km. Japan also put forth the plan to develop a new anti-ship missile with a range of 2,000 km that is capable of launching both land and sea attacks.
Japan’s strong efforts to develop aggressive weapons exposed its ambition to break away from the “defense only” policy and establish an attack system, which rates a high level of vigilance.
10. America’s carrier-based unmanned refueling drone finishes onboard testing
The US Navy completed the first onboard testing of the MQ-25 Stingray carrier-based unmanned refueling drone on the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in December.
MQ-25A is an unmanned refueling tanker developed by Boeing. Since June this year, it has completed aerial refueling tests for F/A-18 Super Hornets, E-2D early warning aircraft, and F-35C fighter, fully verifying its coordination capability. With a max takeoff weight of 20t and a carrying capacity of 6.8t, the tanker is able to perform refueling tasks within a 900-plus-km radius of the aircraft carrier.
The MQ-25A carrier-based refueling tanker is of great importance for US Navy. It will not only mitigate the shortage of carrier-borne fighter jets, but also expand their combat radius and enhance the fleet’s security. However, this subsonic drone hardly escapes once it is radar-locked, and its limited carrying capacity disenables it to meet the refueling demand during high-intensity operations.
