I mean the truth is that China would probably have issues at the start of a major conflict if one broke out, but that would be because they haven’t been fighting wars constantly for the last forty years so there’s institutional knowledge that the PLA just doesn’t have.
But that said China is also well aware of this institutional knowledge problem, and regularly tries to negate it, ie by hiring retired American military pilots to come and train the PLAAF ones. It’s impossible to say whether that makes up for the gap or not until a peer conflict actually breaks out.
edit: plus the last time China fought America they achieved all of their military goals and forced us to sign a peace treaty and that was seventy years ago when they were still way behind technologically so
Can i just point out that while the US might have been in wars plenty they also have absolutely 0 experience in an actual near peer war. Like the wars the US has fought are basically always one sided. While i guess it’s better than no experience it’s not that great. The only countrys with any real experience in a true modern war is Russia and Ukraine.
The only countrys with any real experience in a true modern war is Russian and Ukraine.
I’d add Iran and the long list of countries involved in the Second Congo War (plus several ongoing conflicts in that region) to that, as well. Even though they haven’t fought wars with drones, they have fought conventional wars against other professional armies/peers rather recently. India and Pakistan also have a lot of experience due to all the skirmishes with neighbors. They haven’t fought all-out wars, though, due to both countries having nukes as deterrents.
If any of these countries got involved in an escalated conflict, they wouldn’t take long to catch up. Russia and Ukraine are just where all the cutting-edge tech from world powers is being used.
Well i was mainly referring to the new tech theyre using. Ukraine v Russia is the only conflict thats both a full blown war, and also is using the same type of tech youd expect to see in a near peer war involving the US.
The Iran v Israel war for example was rather limited in scope. Even Ukraine and Russia is baby stuff compared to what we would see in a China v USA war. For example in any conflict between the US and China youd see it quickly bleed over into space. Satellite warfare, and space superiority becoming a thing similar to air superiority. Anti sat missiles too.
It is an entirely different ball game once you start doing that. Just imagine for example you lose space superiority over your own country. The enemy can simply drop mass drivers down on you from orbit. Tungsten rods slamming into the ground with the same force as a nuclear weapon. They could monitor all communications on the ground, disable all your navigation sats, watch through the window as your nation leader uses the bathroom. Youd have to be in a bunker 24/7, and start communicating exclusively via shielded fiber optic cables. The war would be over before it even started.
We already see China, and the US both practicing space warfare tactics. Sattelites that move around and can grab on to, and disable or co-opt enemy satellites. Or simply suicide themselves into them. Ship launched missiles that go all the way into orbit and take out sats. etc.
The only countrys with any real experience in a true modern war is Russia and Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine is very far from a modern war. Neither side has 5th generation stealth aircraft, advanced counter UAV/drone systems for their mechanised units, a proper surface navy in the Black Sea, significant numbers of AWACS aircraft, SEAD/DEAD capabilities, or sufficient long range strike capabilitiy. These are all things that the US and China will bring to the table in a potential war. The Ukraine-Russia war is a very unique situation that allows drones to take the spotlight because that’s what both sides can bring to the table. A near peer war with US or Chinese involvement would look very different.
I mean the truth is that China would probably have issues at the start of a major conflict if one broke out, but that would be because they haven’t been fighting wars constantly for the last forty years so there’s institutional knowledge that the PLA just doesn’t have.
But that said China is also well aware of this institutional knowledge problem, and regularly tries to negate it, ie by hiring retired American military pilots to come and train the PLAAF ones. It’s impossible to say whether that makes up for the gap or not until a peer conflict actually breaks out.
edit: plus the last time China fought America they achieved all of their military goals and forced us to sign a peace treaty and that was seventy years ago when they were still way behind technologically so
Can i just point out that while the US might have been in wars plenty they also have absolutely 0 experience in an actual near peer war. Like the wars the US has fought are basically always one sided. While i guess it’s better than no experience it’s not that great. The only countrys with any real experience in a true modern war is Russia and Ukraine.
I’d add Iran and the long list of countries involved in the Second Congo War (plus several ongoing conflicts in that region) to that, as well. Even though they haven’t fought wars with drones, they have fought conventional wars against other professional armies/peers rather recently. India and Pakistan also have a lot of experience due to all the skirmishes with neighbors. They haven’t fought all-out wars, though, due to both countries having nukes as deterrents.
If any of these countries got involved in an escalated conflict, they wouldn’t take long to catch up. Russia and Ukraine are just where all the cutting-edge tech from world powers is being used.
Well i was mainly referring to the new tech theyre using. Ukraine v Russia is the only conflict thats both a full blown war, and also is using the same type of tech youd expect to see in a near peer war involving the US.
The Iran v Israel war for example was rather limited in scope. Even Ukraine and Russia is baby stuff compared to what we would see in a China v USA war. For example in any conflict between the US and China youd see it quickly bleed over into space. Satellite warfare, and space superiority becoming a thing similar to air superiority. Anti sat missiles too.
It is an entirely different ball game once you start doing that. Just imagine for example you lose space superiority over your own country. The enemy can simply drop mass drivers down on you from orbit. Tungsten rods slamming into the ground with the same force as a nuclear weapon. They could monitor all communications on the ground, disable all your navigation sats, watch through the window as your nation leader uses the bathroom. Youd have to be in a bunker 24/7, and start communicating exclusively via shielded fiber optic cables. The war would be over before it even started.
We already see China, and the US both practicing space warfare tactics. Sattelites that move around and can grab on to, and disable or co-opt enemy satellites. Or simply suicide themselves into them. Ship launched missiles that go all the way into orbit and take out sats. etc.
Russia and Ukraine is very far from a modern war. Neither side has 5th generation stealth aircraft, advanced counter UAV/drone systems for their mechanised units, a proper surface navy in the Black Sea, significant numbers of AWACS aircraft, SEAD/DEAD capabilities, or sufficient long range strike capabilitiy. These are all things that the US and China will bring to the table in a potential war. The Ukraine-Russia war is a very unique situation that allows drones to take the spotlight because that’s what both sides can bring to the table. A near peer war with US or Chinese involvement would look very different.
part of what
gets out of fighting to the last ukranian is finding out which wunderwaffles actually work.