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Iran in Latin America: Threat or Axis of Annoyance?
Senior Fellow Douglas Farah's analysis of the debate over the level of threat posed by Iran's expanding diplomatic, trade and military presence in Latin America, and its stated ambition to continue to broaden these ties.
Chinese Naval Modernization: Altering the Balance of Power
Richard Fisher details China's naval modernization program and the potential impacts on U.S. interests in the Western Pacific.
A Fighter Essential to Air Superiority
Washington Post, Letter to the Editor
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George C. Wilson attacked the Lockheed-Martin F/A-22 Raptor jet fighter, but the plane could be crucial to us in Asia.
In about three years China will have enough forces in place to consider a surprise strike on Taiwan. It has purchased 300 to 400 Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighters and Su-30 fighter-bombers, plus Russian A-50 AWACS and anti-air and ground attack missiles. These will be coordinated with a force of about 50 attack submarines. These, plus about 1,000 ballistic and cruise missiles, could be the openers for either a blockade of Taiwan or an attack on Taipei.
Today the U.S. "front line" is two squadrons (about 48 planes) of Boeing F-15C fighters on Okinawa. The head of U.S. air forces in the Pacific recently complained about the difficulty of simply maintaining these 30-year-old fighters. Since friendly air exercises with Russia in 1992, the Pentagon has known that the Su-27 can outmaneuver the F-15C. In terms of radar, electronics and even weapons, China's Sukhois are increasingly able to match the F-15C.
The Sukhois also have the Russian R-73 air-to-air missile that can almost guarantee victory in a dogfight. The self-guided Russian R-77 medium-range air-to-air missile is almost as good as the U.S. AIM-120 AMRAAM. Upgrades may allow all of China's Sukhois to fire Russian Kh-31 supersonic anti-ship missiles.
The F/A-22 is the only fighter available to the United States that can truly beat China's Sukhois, and we need it on Okinawa or Guam now. The F/A-22 can't fight the war we face today in Iraq. But it might prevent a far larger war on the Taiwan Strait.
That is a price worth paying.
RICHARD D. FISHER JR.
