China's leader Xi Jinping signalled he wants his military to be able to successfully invade Taiwan by 2027..Hard to say if he actually means that, or if he and People's Republic of China (PRC) are just doing more of the same — sabre rattling to garner attention and frighten Taiwan into surrendering peacefully..Something which probably won't happen, at least with US President Biden in charge. Recently the elder statesman reiterated his stand, further confusing things..Biden said "yes" when asked during an interview broadcast Sunday on CBS News' 60 Minutes program whether "US forces, US men and women would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.".And yet again, White House officials were quick to say US policy toward Taiwan has not changed — that policy says Washington wants to see Taiwan's status resolved peacefully, but doesn't say whether US forces might be sent in response to a Chinese attack..But there is one military leader, the US Air Force's boss in the Pacific, who thinks Mr. Xi should give his head a shake..Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) commander, also told reporters during a media engagement Monday he thinks Beijing and its top military planners should be “worried” about their ability to take over the island nation, Breaking Defense reported.. Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of Pacific Air Forces.Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of Pacific Air Forces. .More specifically, Wilsbach said China’s J-20, its most advanced fighter in production, isn’t “anything to lose a lot of sleep over,” indicating his belief American fifth-gen fighters would be more than a match for the Chinese-made jets..Asked for his assessment on whether China would be able to invade Taiwan by 2027 — a date pegged by a number of officials over the years — Wilsbach pointed to the lessons of Ukraine.. US Air Force F-35A Lightning IIUS Air Force F-35A Lightning II .He acknowledged it's a target for Beijing, but the outcome of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should, he said, cause PRC leadership to “wonder” if that timeline is still realistic, Breaking Defense reported..“If I was them, I’d be really worried, because you saw what happened with Russia trying to achieve their military objectives in Ukraine, and [Russia] should have had a relatively easy problem to solve."."They had to drive across the border, they had to take over the country that they should have been superior to militarily, and yet they had a lot of failures, and they certainly haven’t achieved their objectives,” he said..“China has a much more difficult military problem from the standpoint of they have to accomplish one of the most difficult military events you would have to do, which is an amphibious landing across 100 miles of open ocean and an air assault against a very well defended place like Taiwan — and a place that intends to defend themselves, clearly,” Wilsbach continued..“If I was them, I’d be worried. If I was a [Chinese] military commander, I’d be worried about 2027.”. China's J-20A Fifth Generation Fighter.China's J-20A Fifth Generation Fighter. .Meanwhile, tensions continue to rise following efforts by Xi's government to intimidate Taiwan by holding live-fire exercises in the nearby sea and flying fighter jets in its ADIZ amid visits to Taipei by political figures, including US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi..But unlike US-trained Air Force pilots, Chinese pilots have seen little or no real action, and buzzing Taiwan is relatively easy — no one is shooting at them, and they know they'll be returning to base the same day to a hot meal and a warm bed..Their experience on China's fledgling aircraft carriers is also limited. That could change in the future, of course, as China builds up its military strength, along with its rapidly expanding nuclear Triad..As for Pelosi's visit to the self-ruled democracy, and the fallout that followed, Wilsbach — whose command stems from Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii — noted there were some lessons learned..“They showed us some cards," he said, without going into detail. "They showed some cards, maybe they didn’t intend to, but we picked up on it. And so we’re incorporating that into our future plans.”.The PACAF chief also remained unimpressed by one of Beijing’s most high-profile platforms, its fifth-generation J-20 stealth fighter jet, which began operating roughly a decade ago, Breaking Defense reported.. J-20J-20 .Asked to describe his assessment of the jet, Wilsbach verbally shrugged, saying “It’s their most modern aircraft. We’ve had a limited opportunity to assess it. Seems OK. It seems OK. It’s not anything to lose a lot of sleep over, but they seem to be a building a lot of them.”.He added that “It’s nothing that I would worry too much about. Our forces are really well trained and we’re very well equipped.”.According to Military Watch Magazine, the J-20’s estimated scale of production is unprecedented for a twin engine fifth generation fighter, and could facilitate acquisitions to equip two brigades per year or more.. Gen. WilsbachGen. Wilsbach .The Northern Theatre Command was the first to receive a unit comprised entirely of enhanced J-20A fighters, which benefit from improved stealth capabilities, super-cruise capabilities and a greater flight performance facilitated primarily by the integration of new WS-10C engines, the report said..New variants, including a twin seat variant first seen in October 2021 which are expected to enter service in the near future..The J-20 and its American competitor, the F-35, are considered in a league of their own in terms of performance, deploying advanced avionics including features such as distributed aperture systems which rival fighters such as the American F-22 Raptor lack.. J-20A fighter jetJ-20A fighter jet
