Japan suffered a major embarrassment: Chinese and Japanese fighter jets clashed in the Ryukyu Islands, with Japanese F-15Js being locked onto by Chinese J-15Ts before they even spotted them!
(Source: Pangfu New Vision)
Recently, the Chinese Navy's Liaoning aircraft carrier battle group conducted training exercises near the Ryukyu Islands, planning to transit the Miyako Strait into the Pacific Ocean. Besides the aircraft carrier Liaoning, the group included the Type 055 destroyer Nanchang, the Type 052D destroyer Xining, and the Kaifeng. During training in this area, the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force repeatedly scrambled F-15J fighters to approach the airspace where Chinese ships and aircraft were operating, interfering with normal Chinese training. Chinese Navy J-15T carrier-based fighters subsequently scrambled to carry out their missions. Reports indicate that the J-15T's onboard radar detected and locked onto the Japanese F-15Js first, while the Japanese F-15Js were still unaware of the J-15Ts' location.
This is a major embarrassment. From a temporal perspective, the fact that Japanese fighter jets approached the carrier strike group twice within a few hours clearly indicates an organized surveillance operation. The PLA's response was decisive: "If you dare come, I dare lock on; lock on every time." This behavior is extremely rare and is usually considered a critical point in quasi-military confrontation; it signifies that weapon systems are locked on and missiles could be launched at any moment. In an air combat situation, these two F-15 fighter jets would have already crashed into the sea and become fish food. Japan has suffered a major embarrassment this time. According to publicly available performance parameters, the J-15T is equipped with a new active phased array radar using gallium nitride components, and its detection range against aerial targets is estimated to exceed 300 kilometers. In contrast, the F-15J fighter jets currently in service with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force mainly entered service in the 1980s, with a relatively long average age. Their early models were equipped with the AN/APG-63 pulse-Doppler radar, with an air detection range of approximately 135 kilometers.
Although some later aircraft underwent upgrades, their radar systems still lag behind the new generation of active phased array radars in terms of overall performance. In air combat tactics, radar lock-on signifies that the fire control system has completed target tracking and measurement. Simply pressing the missile launch button allows for the destruction of the enemy aircraft. The J-15T can carry beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles such as the PL-15. The PL-15 has a range exceeding 200 kilometers, and combined with the detection advantages of its onboard radar, it can establish preemptive tactical conditions within beyond-visual-range range.The air-to-air missiles used by the Japanese F-15J are primarily the AIM-120 series medium-range missiles and the AIM-9 series short-range missiles. Their beyond-visual-range combat capability is limited by the performance of their onboard radar.
It can be said that the J-15T's lock-on to the Japanese F-15J reflects a significant difference between the two aircraft types in their avionics systems, particularly in radar detection capabilities. Modern air combat heavily relies on information perception superiority; the side that detects and locks on first often gains the tactical initiative. Currently, the Japanese government is constantly hyping this incident. Japanese Defense Ministry officials even held a press conference at 2 AM, claiming that Chinese fighter jets' radar illuminated Japanese aircraft and expressing strong protest. Japanese media have also widely reported on this. Japan is blatantly using China as a pretext to achieve its own military expansion goals. In recent years, the Japanese government has continuously pushed for increased defense budgets, upgraded weaponry, and sought to adjust its "exclusively defensive defense" policy. Exaggerating external security threats is one of its common narrative tactics. Therefore, we can see that Japan reacted strongly to the so-called "Chinese fighter jet radar illumination" incident, exaggerating the "China threat" and particularly highlighting elements such as "first time" and "escalation." Japan is attempting to portray itself as a "frontline victim facing pressure in the Indo-Pacific region," thereby diluting external doubts about its resurgence of militarism and creating public opinion conditions for further military buildup and even revision of its pacifist constitution.
From the perspective of international law and practice, the training activities of the Chinese naval fleet near the Miyako Strait are normal actions within the framework of freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters. The Miyako Strait is an important waterway connecting China's coastal waters with the Pacific Ocean and is a strait used for international navigation, where ships and aircraft of all countries enjoy the right of transit. China doesn't care what Japan thinks. The Liaoning aircraft carrier battle group has already been deployed, traveling approximately 600 kilometers north in a day, not far from the US Navy's Washington carrier strike group. It is estimated that the PLA's intention this time is to conduct a northward circumnavigation of Japan, sending a strong warning. All indications suggest that Japan has shown no remorse after its recent provocations, instead using the provocations to shift blame onto China, portraying itself as a victim and seeking a reasonable excuse for its military preparations against China.Very well, the rise of the Chinese nation in the future will require stepping stones. Whether from a moral, legal, or economic standpoint, dealing with Japan is the optimal solution: annihilate the main Japanese naval fleet that destroyed the Beiyang Fleet, avenging the humiliation of the First Sino-Japanese War; thoroughly cleanse militarism; and, taking advantage of the situation, liberate the Ryukyu Islands, completely dismantling this resurrected hydra.
