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| Taiwan deploys F-16V in response to Chinese J-20 |
International Military - Tensions between Taiwan and China are currently heating up. This was triggered by the visit of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in early August. Pelosi's agenda is believed to be like "throwing gasoline on a fire".
Keep in mind that China has historically sought to unify Taiwan to mainland Beijing. They do not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country. And the visit of the Chairman of the US House of Representatives seemed to acknowledge that Taiwan is a country.
Prior to his arrival, China had threatened Taipei and the US to invade Taiwan. Chinese President Xi Jinping has even ordered combat materials to the Western Theater Command in Fujian province. The location of Fujian Province itself faces directly into Taiwan which is only 340 km from the island. Various Chinese fighter fleets have been and are on their way there, in combat-ready positions.
The day after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan, China held a large-scale military exercise. On that occasion, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted live fire drills near Pingtan Island, about 120 kilometers from the coast of Taiwan.
The PLA launched about 11 ballistic missiles aimed directly at Taiwan. Quoted from Defense Security Asia, the missiles crossed Taiwan's airspace before "landing" in waters near the island. The ballistic missiles are believed to be DF-15, DF-16, and DF-17 that crashed in waters north, south and east of Taiwan. Even the Japanese government claims that 5 of the missiles fell in the waters of its country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
This is the first time a ballistic missile has landed in Japan's EEZ waters, since their tensions with China. Security observers said, "The missile that landed in Japanese waters is a warning to Tokyo and the US which has Kadena Air Base in Okinawa."
China may want to signal that its missiles can hit any target they want. In a statement, China said its missiles "accurately hit the target". China's six military exercise zones in waters near Taiwan were chosen not without reason.
That's because the interests in the future, namely to surround and attack Taiwan. All ballistic missiles launched at Taiwan are believed to have been launched from Fujian province, coastal Zhejiang and other areas of China.
At the same time, 22 Chinese warplanes crossed the center line in the Taiwan Strait that separates the two countries. In the midst of Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, China had fired at least 50 long-range missiles.
Quoted from Defense View, the shot was aimed at the Taiwan Strait as a form of warning to the US and Taiwan. As already explained, Pelosi's arrival to Taiwan sparked one of the most dangerous moments in cross-strait relations for decades. In response to the Chinese military exercise, Taiwan deployed their most advanced fighter jet, the F-16V.
While China's most advanced fighter jet J-20 was deployed in June 2021, namely during training with the Su-30 and other fighter jets. Then, what if these two fighter jets face each other? Who is superior?
Quoted from News Week, in terms of speed, the Taiwanese F-16V can fly faster at 1,500 mph, surpassing the J-20 which only has a maximum speed of 1,321 mph. Although, these two fighter jets have similarities in terms of wide range, which is about 2,000 miles.
Then regarding the size, this US-made fighter jet is more compact with a length of 14.8 meters and a height of 4.8 meters. Thus, the F-16V will be superior in terms of maneuverability in the air.
Meanwhile, the Chinese J-20 has a larger body, with an average length of 20.4 meters and a height of 4.45 meters. The thing that the Chinese fighter jet won was the fuel capacity with 25 thousand kilograms, while the F-16V only had 5,443 kilograms of tank capacity.