Combined picture: The upper part of the picture shows a French Rafale fighter jet; the lower part shows a Chinese Communist J-20 fighter jet. (Wikipedia)
The military power of India and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been under the world’s attention since the conflict between the two countries on the Himalayan border in June 2020. After the conflict, India quickly purchased additional fighter jets, tanks, and other sophisticated weapons from France, Russia, and other countries to counter the constant threat to India’s border security from the Chinese Communist military.
In July 2020, France delivered five Rafale fighter jets (Dassault Rafale) to India at a time. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted, “The receipt of these fighters will make the Indian Air Force stronger and deter any possible threat to our country.”
The Indian Army’s new Rafale fighter jet is being eyed as a counterweight to China’s new generation of J-20 fighters. India Today reported in July that although the Rafale is a fourth-generation fighter, and China calls itself the fifth-generation J-20, the battle-tested Rafale is strong enough to stand up to it.
Rafale from an aircraft carrier (Wikipedia)
Rafale has a more powerful engine
The newspaper quoted former Indian Air Force chief Raghunath Nambiar as saying, “The Rafale is far superior to this Chengdu-made J-20. Although the J-20 is considered a fifth-generation fighter, it is at best equivalent to the 3.5 generation because its engine is our Soviet third-generation engine.” Nabil has test-flown Rafale fighters.
Indian Air Force experts have also analyzed that the J-20 may not have its self-proclaimed stealth capabilities. Indian experts believe that the J-20 is likely to have no real name because the Chinese Communist army has been using the Russian Su-35 fighter, a Russian fighter whose engine performance cannot be compared to that of the Rafale.
Nabil added: “The Su-35 is not comparable to the Rafale in terms of mounted weapons, super-sensitive functions and overall structure. The Rafale can achieve super cruise speed even with four missiles mounted, especially with stealth features, so it is greatly superior to the Su-35.” In comparison, the Rafale’s engine is more reliable, durable and easy to maintain.
According to public information, the Su-30 is the main fighter of the Indian Air Force, and the Su-30 is a generation behind the Su-35. The Chinese Communist Party’s J-20 used the Russian AL-31F engine equipped with the Su30 in its early days, but since 2017, the mainland media has been reporting that the J-20 has been equipped with the domestically produced Turbofan-10X engine, which has significantly improved engine performance. Information on the J-20’s engine has not yet been officially confirmed by the Chinese Communist Party.
Weapons that can be mounted on the Rafale (Wikipedia)
Rafale has a more powerful weapons configuration
Indian Air Force officials said, “The Rafale can load up to 1.5 times its fuselage deadweight, thus loading more weapons and filling more fuel than the J-20.”
The Rafale is a multi-role fighter that can perform at least four missions at a time such as reconnaissance, attack, combat and bombing, a capability that the J-20 does not possess.
The Rafale has been battle-tested and has performed well.
The Rafale first participated in the war in Afghanistan in 2002, supporting U.S. air patrols, and in March 2007, the Rafale flew its first strike mission in Afghanistan, dropping GBU-12 laser-guided bombs. Rafale fighters have also participated in various combat missions in Libya, Iraq and Syria, including reconnaissance, airstrikes and bombing. The J-20, on the other hand, has never participated in any actual combat since the Chinese Communist Party announced it would enter service in March 2017.
J-20 showing weapons mountings at an air show. (Wikipedia)
Also according to public data, the Rafale is smaller and better maneuverable than the J-20. The Rafale is 5.3 meters tall, 15.3 meters long and has a wingspan of 10.9 meters; the J-20 is 4.45 meters tall, 20.4 meters long and has a wingspan of 13 meters. The Rafale has an empty weight of 7 tons, a maximum weight of 13 tons, a combat radius of 3,700 km and a maximum speed of 2,222 km/h. The J-20 has an empty weight of 19 tons, a maximum weight of 36 tons, a combat radius of 3,400 km and a maximum speed of 2,100 km/h.
The 2019 Russian “Science and Technology” website commented that the J-20, which has only been shown at airshows, has not been tested in combat at all, while the American F-22, F-35 and Russian Su-57 have been tested in the sand.
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