By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
The US State Department has approved a possible $500 million sale of high-tech InfraRed Search and Track fighter jet targeting sensors to the island of Taiwan for deployment on F-16v variant fighter jets,
This latest development, the prospect of which is now approved by Congress, introduces a significant technological capability to the already upgraded and advanced “v” variant of the F-16. Infra-Red Search and Track (IRST), which is integrated onto the US F/A-18 and other platforms, is and advanced targeting system reportedly capable of performing well in a high-threat “EW” environment and improving a fighter jet’s ability to “track” and “target” enemy planes with more precision and at greater ranges.
Clearly the intent seems to be to further deter China by improving Taiwan’s own ability to defend itself in the air against attacking People’s Liberation Army fighter jets, drones, helicopters and even surface ships. Therefore, the arrival of IRST could prove quite significant, as it would likely slow down or damage anykind of Chinese aerial or amphibious assault to a much greater degree than non-upgraded F-16s would, potentially allow more time for US and allied air and surface assets to arrive and support Taiwan before the island can be annexed by the PLA.
Not surprisingly, Chinese government-backed newspapers are responding to this development by making a number of provocative comments. The most aggressive language, cited by expert sources familiar with Chinese military technology cited in the Global Times newspaper say the PLA Air Force’s J-20 will destroy upgraded Taiwanese F-16s in the air and even eliminate them before they get off the ground.
“The island of Taiwan’s F-16Vs might not even get the chance to take off from airfields before they are destroyed on the ground by precision strikes if a conflict breaks out in the Taiwan Straits,” the Global Times quotes a Chinese expert saying.
At the same time, the Chinese paper also reports that IRST is indeed an impactful technology able to potentially detect “stealth aircraft.”
“Unlike radar that uses the reflection of radio waves to find targets, IRST uses heat signals radiating from its target to detect them. Stealth aircraft are designed to be low-observable to radar, but its infrared radiation can only be reduced, not eliminated,” the Chinese paper writes.
This language is interesting, as it does seem to accurately reflect some of the challenges associated with “thermal management,” and efforts to reduce or limit the “heat” signature emitting from a stealth aircraft. A key concept informing stealth innovation is to decrease exhaust or heat-signals emerging from an aircraft’s engine, to help ensure the aircraft itself can operate at a similar temperature to the surrounding atmosphere.
F-16v vs. Chinese J-20
As a point of comparison, the Chinese paper argues that upgraded F-16s will have little chance of challenging China’s only established 5th-generation aircraft, the J-20. As a dual-winged, land-launched stealth fighter, the J-20 does appear stealthy, although less detail is likely known about its technologies. Nonetheless, without offering much detail regarding the J-20, the Chinese paper does argue it is superior to what it calls a 4.5-generation F-16V.
“This (the addition of IRST) does not make a 4.5-generation fighter like the F-16V capable of rivalling a fifth generation fighter like the J-20 in actual combat, they said. IRST can only lock on to targets from a closer range than radar, while the J-20 can detect the F-16 from a much longer range using radar,” the Global Times writes.
The description of the F-16V as 4.5th-gen seems entirely accurate, as Lockheed Martin engineered an upgraded, higher-tech variant of its F-16 for allied partners. Enhancements to the aircraft include the addition of an Active Electronically Scanned Array, an advanced threat-detection radar system capable of tracking many targets at one time. Lockheed data on the F-16v also says the “V” variant operates with a high-speed data bus, high-resolution display and advanced avionics. Also of significance, the F-16v incorporates an advanced iteration of the well-known Link-16 Theater Data Link, Targeting Pod, advanced weapons, precision GPS navigation and a key system called Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance (GCAS).
Each of these enhancements are quite significant, as an AESA will enable F-16V pilots to detect enemy aircraft at safer stand-off ranges and of course increase the threat detection envelope. LINK-16, a well-known and widely used datalink seems to have also been enhanced, developments which may increase its data throughput or better “harden” it against potential interference. GPS navigation, while helpful, is pretty standard, however the integration of GCAS has been years in the making. GCAS is a substantial technology using advanced algorithms and computer automation to adjust flight trajectory independent of the pilot in the event a pilot is injured or incapacitated. Should a pilot no longer be able to fly an aircraft for any reason, the GCAS system will take over flight navigation and ensure the fighter jet does not “collide” with or crash into the ground.
Chinese military experts quoted in the Global Times also suggest the combination of its KJ-500 early warning aircraft, J-20 and PL-15 beyond line of sight mission will “give F-16Vs no change of using IRST.”
It does not seem clear that the range, security and impact of the KJ-500 sensing, J-20 stealth fighter and PL-15 would have the decided or intended impact. This would depend upon the extent to which such systems were hardened, networked and able to operate with sufficient stand-off ranges to track and attack F-16vs. The Chinese systems would also need to operate with weapons with sufficient range to destroy an F-16v, something suggested by the Chinese paper with its mention of a beyond-line-of-sight missiles.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University
