In a recent development in Israel, a series of airstrikes targeting a significant number of Hezbollah objectives have been carried out, including successful targeted assassinations and missions to destroy Hezbollah weapon caches, resulting in a crucial early victory. Israel’s precision airstrikes have showcased a modern warfare model, which was originally pioneered by the US military. The Russian military has not been able to demonstrate true precision airstrike capability on the Ukrainian battlefield, and the Chinese PLA Air Force currently lacks this capability.
Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been engaged in actual combat for a year now. Since Hamas carried out an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah has continuously launched rockets towards Israel. In order to avoid fighting on two fronts simultaneously, Israel has only responded with limited strikes against Hezbollah. The conflict escalated officially at the end of August and early September, after Israel subdued Hamas and redirected its main military focus towards Hezbollah.
On August 25, Israel discovered that Hezbollah had deployed thousands of rocket launchers in over 40 launch areas and conducted about 230 launches towards Israel. Israel immediately deployed approximately 100 fighter jets and precisely destroyed Hezbollah rocket launcher sites in southern Lebanon. Israel will not allow a repeat of Hamas-style attacks and is fully prepared for warfare with Hezbollah.
On September 17, the “Buzzer Operation” took place, where explosive devices were simultaneously triggered for thousands of Hezbollah members, followed by detonations of walkie-talkies, resulting in dozens of casualties and thousands injured. This operation itself was of great value, and the subsequent effects were remarkable.
Hezbollah had to suspend wireless or wired communications and rely more on traditional face-to-face meetings. As a result, Israel was able to conduct targeted airstrikes one after another, systematically eliminating Hezbollah’s leadership from the highest to the lowest levels and targeting Hezbollah weapons hiding spots.
On September 21, the Israeli Defense Forces announced 400 airstrikes, nearly dismantling Hezbollah’s military command system and destroying thousands of rocket launchers. By September 23, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, Israel had conducted over 1,600 airstrikes, while Hezbollah launched approximately 240 rockets towards Israel, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights.
Hezbollah continues to sporadically launch rockets towards Israel but lacks the capability to organize large-scale attacks. Their command system struggles to operate effectively, and their long-range weaponry has suffered significant losses. Such warfare examples are worth studying for other countries. In anticipation of possible conflicts in the Taiwan Strait, the US military and its allies should also have proactive plans to counteract the potential bombardment of long-range weapons from the Chinese Communist Party.
On October 1, Israeli ground forces officially entered Lebanon. On October 5, Israel announced that at least 440 Hezbollah soldiers were killed during ground operations, and a significant portion of Hezbollah’s stored weapons and tunnels were destroyed.
Facing severe setbacks, most Hezbollah forces either fled or retreated, temporarily unable to engage in effective ground combat. Israel’s airstrikes have achieved the expected results.
The US military has led the way in precise airstrike models, with various types of air-launched missiles carried by fighter jets, as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from warships and submarines being part of precision airstrikes. Missiles are used to target high-value objectives, including destroying enemy radar and air defence systems, playing an irreplaceable role, albeit at high costs.
During the Gulf War, despite the US military targeting more tactical objectives with airstrikes, a significant number of aerial bombs were still used, offering increased destructive power. For subterranean targets, larger bunker-busting bombs carried by fighter jets are more effective than missiles. To enhance the accuracy of aerial bomb drops, the US military has developed precision-guided bombs, known as Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), which were mass-produced and extensively deployed during the Iraq and Kosovo conflicts. US bombers have moved away from carpet bombing, with fighter jets carrying precise guided bombs that enable faster and cost-effective ground-strike missions. Small-scale precision airstrikes have played a crucial role in counterterrorism efforts.
Precise airstrikes have become the modern warfare model pursued by air forces worldwide, but in the past 20 years, only Israel has implemented large-scale applications during real combat scenarios. Israel has continuously targeted Hamas with airstrikes, employing some short-range air-to-ground missiles, but primarily utilizing low-cost precision-guided bombs. The US has provided Israel with at least 3,000 precision-guided bombs.
The US military stockpiles at least 550,000 precision-guided bomb kits, with the initial unit cost around $40,000, reduced to $18,000 after mass production, and the latest upgraded version priced at approximately $30,000. The unit cost of Tomahawk cruise missiles is about $2 million, with an export price around $4 million. The advantages of precision-guided bombs are evident, and the US military plans to use them to rapidly sink Chinese Communist Party fleets.
Through a year of warfare against Hamas, the Israeli Air Force has honed its tactics in precision airstrikes. Although Hezbollah has some anti-aircraft weaponry, it was quickly neutralized. Israel refrained from using ground-to-ground missiles and instead effectively choked Hezbollah through precise airstrikes.
According to the Global Air Powers Ranking, the US, Russia, India, China, and Japan rank ahead of Israel in terms of air force strength. The US Air Force, Navy, Army, and Marine Corps hold the top four positions respectively, with the Russian Air Force ranking third, the Indian Air Force sixth, the Chinese PLA Air Force seventh, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force eighth, followed by Israel in ninth place. If the US military branches are not separated, Israel would rank as the sixth largest air force in the world, with France, the UK, South Korea, Italy, and Australia following behind.
Although Israel has fewer fighter jets compared to Russia, India, China, and Japan, its demonstrated airstrike capabilities rank closely behind the US in actual combat situations. The Russian Air Force has engaged frequently in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but has been cautious about entering Ukrainian-controlled airspace. Russian fighter jets have launched some air-to-ground missiles and increasingly conducted airstrikes from dozens of kilometers away, but their accuracy is considered inadequate. To compensate for the lack of precision, the Russian military has opted to increase bomb weight to extend the range of destruction.
The Russian Air Force has 110 Su-30 and Su-35 multi-role fighters, as well as 127 Su-34 strike aircraft, the main forces deployed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. They also have 101 Su-27, 85 MiG-29, and 90 MiG-31 fighter jets, but these have seen limited action in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, including the latest Su-57 and MiG-35 fighters. The Russian Air Force also operates 273 Su-24 attack aircraft, which have participated in minor numbers in conflicts. Long-range bombers like the Tu-22, Tu-95, and Tu-160 have only launched air-to-ground missiles within Russian territory.
While the Russian military boasts a large number of fighter jets, it has not truly demonstrated modern precision airstrike capabilities. Russian fighter jets were frequently targeted and shot down by air defense missiles at the start of the conflict and have struggled to neutralize Ukrainian air defense capabilities. With continuous assistance from the US and NATO in providing Ukraine with more air defense weapons, Russian fighter jets have been cautious about encroaching further.
India possesses 242 Su-30, 66 MiG-29, and 45 Mirage 2000 fighter jets, with the addition of Rafale fighter jets. The existing 130 Jaguar attack aircraft have participated in conflicts with Pakistan, but India has yet to demonstrate large-scale precision airstrike capabilities.
Japan operates 155 F-15 fighter jets primarily for air superiority, 62 F-2 fighters mainly carrying anti-ship missiles to defend Japanese waters, and the latest F-35 fighters with ground-strike capabilities that require further training.
Apart from the US military, Israel stands as the second-ranked air force globally, showcasing significant airstrike capabilities in large-scale combat scenarios. Israel’s fleet of 58 F-15, 175 F-16, and 39 F-35 fighter jets are from the US, and their air operations tactics have been influenced by American practices.
Currently, most Israeli pilots possess more combat experience in airstrikes than most American pilots, especially with the F-35 fighter jet’s operational history, positioning Israel at the forefront.
Chinese military aircraft stats reveal that China’s active fighter jet inventory includes 200 J-20, 262 J-16, 97 Su-30, and 24 Su-35; 588 J-10 fighter jets and slightly reduced Su-27/J-11 to 327 aircraft; carrier-based J-15 fighters maintained at 60 units.
Despite having a considerable number of fighter jets, China lacks comparable precision attack aircraft like the Russian Su-34, and only possesses outdated JH-7 fighter-bombers. The J-11 lacks sufficient ground-strike capabilities, leaving the J-16, Su-30, and Su-35 to undertake both air-to-air combat and air-to-ground strike missions. The J-10 theoretically possesses ground-strike capabilities but is unlikely to venture far from the coastline.
The operational capability of China’s J-20 in conducting airstrikes has yet to be demonstrated. The J-15 carrier-based fighter jets operating alongside the Liaoning and Shandong are primarily utilized for temporary air defense and are inadequately equipped for airstrike missions.
China’s airstrike capabilities lag behind those of the Russian military. Despite repeatedly crossing the Taiwan Strait median line, initiating war would likely see Chinese fighter jets hesitating to venture near Taiwanese airspace to avoid their formidable air defense missiles. China’s H-6 bombers, numbering 100, are primarily outfitted with anti-ship missiles, risking solo ventures at sea to attack US warships, or potentially circumventing Taiwan’s eastern coast to launch air-to-ground missiles. Nevertheless, with the absence of fighter jet escorts, ensuring their safety is challenging.
Chinese pilots refer to ground strike training as target practice, relying more on simulated dive attacks carrying rockets, with limited reports on training involving precision-guided bomb drops. China’s air-to-ground missiles mostly replicate Russian models but have not yet mastered the latest missile technologies. China’s long-range air-to-ship and air-to-ground missiles inherited features of bulky and heavy Russian missiles, only carried by H-6 strategic bombers, advertised with a capacity of six missiles but typically loaded with just two during training.
Recognizing Israel’s precision airstrike capabilities, China would undoubtedly consider the extensive precision airstrike capabilities of the US military when evaluating potential risks to their missile bases, warships, ports, airfields, and ammunition depots, making targeted assassinations a top fear for Chinese officials.
With stealth aircraft and specialized forces, the US military can swiftly take the initiative in a conflict. In the event of war with China, from high-ranking officials of the Central Military Commission and Central Party authorities to various group army, division, and battalion commanders, including provincial and municipal Party secretaries along the coast, they would likely become targets of US strikes akin to Hezbollah leadership. Consequently, few Chinese officials would be willing to assume these vacant positions, leading to a quick collapse of the Chinese Communist Party.
【Original article by 大紀元】