Chinese J20 VS Indian Rafael: Unbiased COmparision

On 15th June Indian & Chinese militaries engagedin a conflict. The clashes took place in eastern Ladakh'sGalwan Valley. The valley refers to the land between steep mountains and the Galwan River. It is strategically located between Ladakh in the west and Aksai Chin in the east. Though things have cooled down a bit since then a skirmish can’t be ruled out going forward. In this situation, an aerial battle between the two countries could see two of the most potential fighters in the world going head to head.

In this Defense updates analyze we'll see how China's 5th generation Chengdu J-20 stands compared to India’s French-made Rafale? Let’s get into the details.

Chengdu J-20

                                 

                                                                 credits: wikimediacommons.com

Chengdu J-20 is a single-seat, multirole stealthfighter for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat roles and integrated avionics which was test flown for the first time on January 11, 2011. The jet is developed and manufactured by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group or CAIG. The total number of operational jets is not known at present. Official information on the type of radarthat J-20s use has not yet been released publicly. Some analysts believed that J-20s used Type1475 (KLJ-5) active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar with 1856 transmit/receive modules, but more recent information's revealed that this radar was designed for upgraded versions of J-11D J20 is likely to have a radar that has 2000–2200 transmit/receive modules There is very little information available when it comes to the self-protection suite in J 20.

Though Chinese have come a long way when it comes to radar tech & self-protection systems, it is well known that U.S & European corporations have the edge in research. Stealth is still is very difficult to achieve and it seems China has a long way to go. The design is not optimized - J-20’s long and wide fuselage and large surface area are thought to reflect the radar signals significantly.J-20 uses Russian AL-31F engines which is the predecessor of AL-41F1 and has struggled to make an indigenous engine suitable fora 5th generation aircraft. It can't super cruise with this engine, The future production version of the J-20 may be powered by the WS-15, a homegrown turbofan engine currently under development and could enable it with super cruise ability. J-20 is integrated with many air-to-air missiles which include PL-10 for short-range, PL-12 for medium-range, and PL-15 for BVR or Beyond Visual Range combat.

The Dassault Rafale

                          

                                                         credits:wikimwdiacommons.com

The Dassault Rafale is a French twin-engine, multirole fighter aircraft equipped with a wide range of weapons. It is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction,aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence missions. India’s contract for 36 Rafale fighters has a cost of around $8.721 billion and it will start receiving the jets soon.

Dassault Rafale is fitted with an RBE2-AA radar system which is an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system derived from the Rafale's RBE2 radar. The radar is reported to deliver a detection range of greater than 200 km or 125 miles, improved reliability and reduced maintenance demands over the preceding radar. The Rafale features an integrated defensive-aids system named SPECTRA, which protects the aircraft against airborne and ground threats. Various methods of detection, jamming, and decoying have been incorporated. It is noted that 30% of the cost of the entire aircraft has been devoted to the radar and self-protection equipment. The Radar Absorbent Material used in the jet also needs further work.

Indian Reports have emerged that a Sukhoi Su-30MKIof the Indian Air Force managed to detect the Chinese Chengdu J-20 jet fighter. The disclosure didn’t come from any independent analysts but from an official source. Indian Air Force commander,"The Sukhoi's radar can detect them. The new Chinese jets are not so stealth after all. No special technology is required to detect the J-20, as it can be detected by ordinary radar stations.” This elevates doubts about J 20 which was already regarded as a decorated 4++ generation fighter by many experts. Although not really a stealth aircraft, the Rafale was designed for a reduced radar cross-section (RCS) and infrared signature. In order to reduce the RCS, changes from the initial technology demonstrator include a reduction in the size of the tail-fin, fuselagere shaping, repositioning of the engine air inlets underneath the aircraft's wing, and the extensive use of composite materials and serrated patterns for the construction of the trailing edges of the wings and canards. It's much smaller size also aids in the reduction of RCS. The Rafale is fitted with two Snecma M88 engines,each capable of providing up to 50 Kilo Newton (11,250 lbf) of dry thrust and 75 Kilo Newton (16,900 lbf)with afterburners. The M88 enables the Rafale to super cruise while carrying four missiles and one drop tank. It is capable of engaging fast agile jets to small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles as well as cruise missiles in extreme weather conditions. Meteor has excellent aerodynamics and propulsion performance enabling it to pull off intense turn angles when pursuing an agile targetlike a modern super maneuverable fighter. The missile has a no-escape zone of 60 kmor about 38 miles which is the largest more a missile of this category. Air superiority is key to any modern-day battle scenario so these jets have a very important role to play in a potential conflict.

Though a lot of claims have been made about the capability of J-20 , touting it to be a 5th generation fighter, it has several issues like many other so-called indigenous Chinese weapons platforms. For example, J-15 Flying Shark which is aderivative /illegal copy of the Russian SU-33 is referred to as 'flopping fish’ but Chinese media itself for its inability to operate effectively from the Chinese carrier. Keeping this in view, Rafale which is built to satisfy European standards will be a handful for the Chinese jet. But the result of a head-on encounter will depend on many aspects like availability of AWCS, training of the pilots, and tactical planning. 

Abhishek Rawat
Content Writer
@DayLightMedia