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| An artist’s concept of the Lockheed Martin F-22, posted on Instagram by Gen. Mark D. Kelly, head of Air Combat Command, offers an official glimpse of new capabilities for the Raptor, including a possible first look at the highly classified AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile. Air Force illustration. |
International Military - It is no secret that the competition between these two big countries, namely the United States (US) and the Bamboo Curtain country, namely China. These two countries are known to outperform each other in terms of military defense, and you already know who won.
Is it the US? in general, it is true, this Western country is indeed known as the largest producing light to heavy weaponry. It can be proven by looking at the countries of the world that use products from the Uncle Sam's country.
But this time, China can outperform the US, although not on all platforms, but it has made the Western country nervous. At a time when US hypersonic missiles were still in the testing phase, China claimed that their hypersonic products could reach even the fastest vehicles, even the F-22 Raptor.
The F-22 Raptor itself is the first generation of US fighter jets even in the world, introduced in 2005 since its development period in the 1990s, quoted Defense News. This advanced fighter jet made by Lockheed Martin is indeed famous for its very high maneuverability. Even more modern fighter jets cannot match the agility of the Raptor.
So, if China's claim is true it will cause concern for the US, because of the greatness of hypersonic missiles apart from their speed, it is very difficult to predict the direction of their speed. What's more, China says that its hypersonic missile can reach the speed of the famous F-22 Raptor with its high level of maneuverability.
Chinese hypersonic missiles VS US fighter jets
Last January, Chinese scientists claimed that they had produced a new generation of hypersonic weapons. One of the advanced technologies in it is an infrared tracker that the US military may not even have until 2035.
Experts in China say that this hypersonic missile can hit almost any target with incredible accuracy and speed. These targets include stealth fighter jets, ships and even vehicles moving on the road.
According to the South China Morning Post, reported a Chinese military specialist who said…“The hypersonic surface-to-air missile can reach the F-22 Raptor in seconds, if the missile is fired at close range”.
According to the US Air Force itself admits that heat-seeking missiles (infrared) had shot down 90 percent of aircraft in the 1980s. And this type of missile can target the F-22 Raptor easily because the coating material easily heats up while flying, quoted the EurAsian Times.
And this is very concerning because the two militaries of this country often "collision" in the Indo-Pacific region. For example, recently a US F-35 fighter jet met a Chinese J-20 stealth in the region. The combination of stealth fighter jets and hypersonic missiles is a nightmare for the US and its allies.