As the U.S. defense chief leaves for Beijing this weekend, some in China are busting a gut over how panicked American commentators appear over new Chinese stealth planes and anti-ship missiles.
Aviation circles are consumed with any and all news about the J-20, China’s first stealth jet. (You can have a lot of fun searching for “J-20″ on YouTube.) Its appearance on the internet coincided with Adm. Robert Willard’s public declaration that China’s carrier-killer missile reached the early stages of readiness. And with China starting to (maybe) build its own aircraft carrier, that’s got American defense analysts catching the vapors.
“Shades of 1939 are here again,” retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney wrote in a Fox News essay, claiming that the U.S.’s forthcoming F-35 will be no match for the J-20 — which so far only exists to the U.S. in the form of grainy photos. The only answer to forestall Chinese air hegemony? “[I]nsert funding for 12 F-22s into the 2011 budget that is under a Continuing Resolution now while the F-22 line is still open — and keep that line going as a counter to this fast developing Chinese threat.”
Vice Adm. Jack Dorsett tried to tamp down hyperventilation over the J-20 this week, while conceding that the new DF-21D anti-ship missile really is worrisome — as is China’s advancement in lasers, jammers, cyberwar and space.
