Despite its outstanding performance in airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, it will be hard for the US Air Force's F-22 Raptor to defeat China's J-20 in close aerial combat, China's nationalistic tabloid China Times crows in regard to a stealth fighter still in development for which the country has been so far unable to design a sufficiently powerful engine.
Taking off from Al Dhafra air base in the United Arab Emirates in late September, American F-22s from the 27th Squadron of the First Fighter Wing dropped 1,000-pound satellite-guided weapons against ISIS positions near the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates in northern Syria. This was considered the first combat mission conducted by the Raptors. Global Times noted however that the planes did not carry auxiliary fuel tanks and had to be refueled by a KC-10 tanker in midair.
Global Times said the F-22 has demonstrated the capability to destroy all fourth-generation fighters including the F-15, F-16 and F/A-18 during past Red Flag exercises. The Global Times gave its verdict however that the F-22 is not as good as other fifth-generation stealth fighters such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale.
Read the full story at Want China Times