India welcomed the roaring Rafale jets on Wednesday which touched ground at the Air Force Fleet in Ambala. With India strengthening the capacity of its forces, the roar of the jets struck the ear of the neighbors and their reactions started pooling in.
China, on Friday, claimed that the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Chengdu J-20 to be superior to the Rafale jets as a fifth generation stealth fighter. It is imperative to note that as against this flight, the Rafale jets are a 4.5 generation fighter jets.
The Chinese expert, making this claim, quoted that the Rafale jets are in fact a whole generation below the Chinese PLA’s J-20 fighter. They also stated that “Rafale is only a third-plus generation fighter jet and does not stand much of a chance against a stealth, fourth generation one like the J-20”.
The Chinese military expert, Zhang Xuefeng, claimed the difference in superiority in an article for the Global Times. While comparing the birds of both the countries, the expert also stated that both these jets are not extensive different and thus “does not yield a significant qualitative change”.
“Thanks to its AESA radar, advanced weapons and limited stealth technologies, the Rafale is comparable to other third plus generation fighter jets used by other countries. But, it will find it very difficult to confront a stealth-capable fourth generation fighter jet”, quoted the Global Times article.
However, ZeeNews reported that the former IAF Air Force Marshal Chief, BS Dhanoa, had also stated that the Rafale jet “is a game-changer and the Chinese J-20 does not even come close”.
It is also reported that Dhanoa was a key player in the successful completion of the Rafale deal and his initials ‘BS’ are used as part of the tail number on the jets.
India has so far just received the first batch of the Rafale jets which consisted of five fighter jets. The complete delivery is promised by the French government by the end of March 2021.
