US and Chinese aircraft

Two items from Strategy Page today.

Chinese JH-7, their version of the F-15E. Sounds bad from a Yankee view point. The F-15E is one of the best air to ground planes in the business, and its really not comforting to hear about a possible adversary having a plane that capable. But the story goes on to say the plane is underpowered, has an operating radius of 900 KM (around 400 miles) and a 5 ton bomb load.

The plane could be used to help blockade Taiwan, but the PRC would have to station the plane close to the coast and it would be difficult to reach beyond Taiwan to intercept the shipping. The PRC could end up like the German ME-109 during the Battle of Britain in WW2. The plane's operating radius is just long enough to get into combat and too short to effectively do its job once it gets there because it has to return to base to refuel.

The second item is a change in tactics in the operation of the AH-64 Apache helicopter. The AH-64 was originally intended to operate in the tree tops or use buildings to shield them against the enemy. If they flew higher, they would be easier targets for SAM's and other fighter aircraft. Well, in Iraq, there aren't any fighters to worry about and the only SAM's are small shoulder launched ones. There is however, a lot of ground fire. By staying higher in the air, the sensors can see more and the helicopter can avoid the ground fire which helps the maintenance folks keep the AH-64 in flyable service.