Is China's Air Force Just A 'Paper Tiger'?

A J-31 stealth fighter (background) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force lands on a runway after a flying performance at the 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, Nov 11, 2014. The president of China's top aircraft maker said on Tuesday that China's new stealth fighter could certainly "take down" its opponent in the sky, referring to its US-made counterpart. Reuters

Kris Osborn, National Interest: China's Air Force: Just a Paper Tiger (Or Ready for War with America)?

China Unveiled its New 5th-Generation J-31 Stealth Fighter in November of 2014.

Tensions in the South China Sea and continued warnings about Chinese militarization of the disputed areas has led many Pentagon planners and analysts to sharpen focus on Chinese Air Force acquisitions and technological advances.

The U.S. Air Force’s technological air power superiority over China is rapidly diminishing in light of rapid Chinese modernization of fighter jets, missiles, air-to-air weapons, cargo planes and stealth aircraft, according to analysts, Pentagon officials and a Congressional review released several years ago.

The 2014 U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission recommended that Congress appoint an outside panel of experts to assess the U.S.-Chinese military balance and make recommendations regarding U.S. military plans and budgets, among other things.Despite being released in 2014, the findings of the report - if slightly dated - offer a detailed and insightful window into Chinese Air Force technology progress and development.

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WNU Editor: For the Chinese .... everything is a work of progress with a long term view. They may have been a "paper tiger" 20 years ago, but they will certainly not be 20 years from now.