Why US Deployed Armed F-15 Fighter Jets In Response To China's J-20 Combat Patrols Near Taiwan
On April 16, in a show of force the US Air Force (USAF) reportedly flew its F-15C long-range fighters near Taiwan. Reports say that the fighters were armed with live AIM-120C and AIM-9M Sidewinder missiles. One of the F-15s reportedly carried a Lockheed Martin’s AN/AAQ-33 SNIPER ATP (Advanced Targeting Pod. Flights by the US fighters carrying live air-to-air missiles are relatively rare.
The J-20 is anything but stealth, it is propaganda, non Chinese military have picked it up on radar easily at distance. Another issue is Chinese aircraft are notoriously under powered due to their lack of advanced technology in engine design, they have been unable to properly reverse engineer Russian engine designs, for example they still cannot make a VTOL aircraft something Russia did 40 years ago. A F-15 would take out any Chinese fighter beyond visual range probably before the Chinese aircraft even knew the F-15 was there, as for the F-16 they could due the same or if they chose go into a dogfight and dance circles around the Chinese before killing them. The Rafale could take the J-20 out with one wing tied behind its back, lol.
Keep in mind if someone focuses on something like this for 35 years, they're more than likely going to be a little more paranoid of something like this happening lol.
When the USAF flies F-15 on such missions, the US wants China to know they're there, very little is hidden and the US wants to be very obvious. It also speaks to the US confidence that a 4th generation fighter aircraft which should easily be detected and tracked by the PLAA can perform its air superiority mission despite being seen. And such should be the case. US military hardware whether operated by the US or Taiwan should exceed Chinese millitary hardware, and superior training should also be an edge over Chinese pilots. Still, no matter whether the US feels it should always have an overall advantage, a lucky shot can always happen.
