China's F-22A Raptor Killer

[Growler]

China is replaying the standard Cold War scenario of quality v quantity, but with the inevitably unique Chinese twist.

If the J20 is (physically, as a product) 75% as effective as Raptor or F35, China needs simply to produce one more aircraft per each pair of American aircraft. (This statement is predicated on all technical factors only - airframe, avionics, weapons systems. It does NOT include pilot quality.) Production in China - well, look at American store shelves to see the results of production in China. A huge workforce under putatively Communist leadership mobilized for war is not something easily discounted.

If the Chinese pilots are half as good as their American counterparts, add another two or three J20s to the production queue for each pair of American aircraft. It's not as though they'll suffer a manpower shortage of willing pilots, and even poorly trained pilots can hurt you.

It's not as though America can bang out these aircraft like we did the Fortresses, Thunderbolts, and Mustangs of WW2 - we certainly would not enjoy the freedom to produce as much, as quickly, and as close to the coasts as we did; the oceans are no longer as effective a moat as they once were.

The main issue isn't quality so much as it is production, at least, how I see it.