Air battle between India and Pakistan kicks off a new arms race for Chinese military hardware
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrcXKEj1a34
Bullet Point Transcript of video:
Pakistan recently shot down Western-built fighter aircraft over India.
China is Pakistan’s top weapons supplier, and China’s J-10C fighters were deployed against India’s Dassault Rafale jets.
As many as five Indian aircraft were destroyed, even before reaching Pakistan’s airspace.
Military analysts are scrambling to reconstruct the events of the battle, to better understand the capabilities of China’s weapons technology, which was tested on a modern battlefield for the first time in decades.
But experts already conclude that Chinese aircraft, with next-generation avionics, payloads, and stealth design, are at par with platforms offered by top Western defense contractors.
China’s systems also cost much less. And now that they have shown real-world success in combat up against much more expensive Western aircraft, a wave of orders will pour in to China’s arms makers, with wide-ranging effects on diplomacy, trade, and security ties.
China’s weapons programs are secret, and nobody really knows how good they are. But for smaller countries, the decision to source military equipment and hardware isn’t just a question of cost, or capability. It also means deeper ties diplomatically, economically, and for strategic objectives.
This is an antiwar channel, and if you ever think it’s otherwise, it’s because you have deliberately misunderstood something I said. The war and defense industries are a massive, catastrophic waste of resources and time and lives. What happened just over there, between Pakistan and India, is most newsworthy, and demands that we understand what it means. Trillions of dollars of global defense spending will be re-directed, over coming decades, from Western arms suppliers to Chinese companies, starting right now. It will scramble, also for decades, diplomatic and military alliances, also starting right now. This is all very good news, for what now will be a huge arms export industry for China. It is all very bad news for Dassault and our top military contractors.
But we live in a finite world, where we already don’t have nearly enough civilian aircraft, or civilian pilots for them. Countries are going to look at those price tags, and conclude—correctly—that they can buy more than twice as many fighter jets, and better ones, with the same money. And they will.
As many as five Indian aircraft were destroyed, even before reaching Pakistan’s airspace.
China must be feeling their oats:
Missile Superiority: The J-10C's PL-15 missile (300 km range) reportedly outperformed the Rafale's Meteor missile (200 km range).
Electronic Warfare: The J-10C allegedly jammed the Rafale’s radar and communication systems, leaving Indian pilots vulnerable.
Dogfight Performance: The J-10C demonstrated high agility and radar evasion, scoring confirmed hits on Rafale jets.
Strategic Impact: The battle has raised concerns about China’s growing air combat capabilities, as the J-10C proved effective against Western-made fighters
A Chinese-made J-10C fighter jet, operated by Pakistan, reportedly shot down a French-made Rafale fighter jet during an aerial clash with India. The incident occurred amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, with Pakistan claiming to have downed multiple Indian aircraft, including three Rafale jets.
Reports suggest that Pakistan used air-to-air missiles launched from the J-10C to bring down the Rafale, marking a significant moment in military aviation as Chinese-built jets engaged Western-made aircraft in combat. The event has drawn global attention, with analysts examining how China’s PL-15 missile performed against Europe’s Meteor missile system.
India has not officially confirmed the loss of its Rafale jets, but images and videos circulating online appear to show wreckage from a downed Rafale. The clash is being closely watched by military experts, as it could have implications for future air combat strategies and arms sales.
The Chengdu J-10C and Dassault Rafale are both 4.5-generation multirole fighter jets, but they have distinct strengths and weaknesses. Here's a comparison of their key capabilities:
| Feature | J-10C | Rafale |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | Single WS-10 Taihang turbofan | Twin Snecma M88-2 turbofans |
| Max Speed | Mach 2.2 | Mach 1.8 |
| Range | ~2,900 km | ~3,700 km (with external fuel tanks) |
| Thrust-to-Weight Ratio | ~1.13 | ~1.05 |
| Stealth Features | DSI intake, radar-absorbing paint | Some RCS reduction but not low-observable |
| Feature | J-10C | Rafale |
|---|---|---|
| Radar | AESA KLJ-7A | AESA RBE2 |
| BVR Missile | PL-15 (~300 km range) | Meteor (~200 km range) |
| Multirole Capability | Air superiority, ground attack | Air superiority, ground attack, reconnaissance |
| Electronic Warfare | Advanced jamming & countermeasures | Spectra EW suite (highly advanced |
The Trump Doctrine Offers a Smarter Path to Global Stability
https://amuseonx.substack.com/p/the-trump-doctrine-offers-a-smarter
Excerpt:
.....The Trump Doctrine rests on seven foundational principles:
First, America First, anchored by Strategic Partnerships. The United States will prioritize its national security, economic prosperity, and global influence while forming durable partnerships with nations that share its goals of stability and growth. As the President made clear, “We don’t go in and out like other people. It’ll remain that way.” Economic interdependence is central, with foreign partners purchasing record volumes of American goods cementing alliances through mutual prosperity.
Second, Peace Through Strength. A $1 trillion military budget has rebuilt the armed forces into the most formidable on Earth, and Trump deploys it decisively when needed. He cited the defeat of ISIS in three weeks and the 1,100 precision strikes on the Houthis in Yemen as examples of power used not to occupy, but to end threats.
Third, Economic Leverage as a Diplomatic Tool. Trump’s doctrine substitutes trade for troop deployments and sanctions for sermonizing. With $10 trillion in foreign investment and nearly half a million new jobs, Trump models economic dynamism as the true path to peace. When he mediated between India and Pakistan, his terms were commercial: “Let’s not trade nuclear missiles. Let’s trade the things you make so beautifully.”
Fourth, Regional Empowerment over Western Intervention. The era of exporting democracy is over. Instead, the US supports indigenous leaders who reform on their own terms. Trump hailed those embracing their national traditions and using them to pursue peace, prosperity, and innovation. He made clear: America will export technology, not ideology.
Fifth, Countering Rogue Actors. Iran remains a focal point, called out directly for looting its people to fund terrorism. But even here, Trump balances iron pressure with olive branches. Should Tehran abandon its nuclear and terror ambitions, he offers partnership and prosperity.
Sixth, Promoting Peace and Stability Through Diplomacy. The Trump Doctrine envisions America as peacemaker and unifier, with the Abraham Accords as a model. Trump celebrated the India-Pakistan ceasefire, negotiations with Hamas over hostage releases, and upcoming Ukraine-Russia talks, all brokered not by force, but by credible diplomacy.
Seventh, Rejection of Ideological Crusades. Trump’s realism leaves no room for moral theater. “It is God’s job to sit in judgment,” he said. The United States will not judge foreign regimes by Western ideals, but by their alignment with stability, prosperity, and American interests.
Taken together, these principles comprise a coherent, realist foreign policy. They prioritize strength and leverage over interventionism and sermonizing. They reject ideological wars while embracing strategic deals. They elevate peace above transformation. In short, they make the world safer without bankrupting American power.
It holds, first, that the United States must pursue its interests, not its illusions. Second, that peace is best preserved not by moral crusades, but by credible strength. Third, that diplomacy, trade, and strategic restraint can often achieve what war cannot. And fourth, that respecting sovereignty, even of adversaries, is not a sign of weakness but of wisdom.
Now in his second term, President Trump has acted swiftly and with strategic clarity. In just his first hundred days, his administration has secured trillions in economic and defense-related agreements throughout the Middle East, bolstering both American industry and regional stability. The Abraham Accords, once thought to be a capstone, now appear to have been just the beginning. These deals are not merely transactions, they are foundations for deeper alliances, aligning our interests with key regional partners in ways that speeches and sanctions never could. By building mutual prosperity, they create a durable architecture of peace and cooperation that military interventions have consistently failed to achieve.
Perhaps nowhere is the Trump Doctrine more vividly on display than in Syria. The most striking case of strategic recalibration lies in Trump’s pivot toward Damascus. Syria is now led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who rose to power after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Known during the civil war as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, al-Sharaa was once the notorious leader of a jihadist faction born from the entrails of Al-Qaeda. In Trump’s first term, he put a $10 million bounty on his head. And now? Trump rescinded the bounty and reestablished diplomatic ties with his government. This is not a lapse in memory, but a masterclass in realpolitik. Trump isn’t offering absolution, he’s wielding recognition as a tool of influence. It’s not appeasement, it’s leverage, precisely the kind of clear-eyed recalibration that defines his second-term doctrine.
This approach has already borne fruit. When Arab leaders pressed Trump to officially recognize the Persian Gulf as the “Arab Gulf,” he publicly entertained the idea, sending Tehran into a predictable fit of nationalist fury. But Trump wasn’t bluffing, he was bargaining. He dangled the symbolic concession, then used it as leverage. Within days, Iran’s leadership signaled a dramatic shift: high-ranking advisers to the Supreme Leader announced their willingness to halt uranium enrichment as part of a new framework with the Trump administration. What once seemed an intractable impasse now stands on the brink of resolution, not because of empty gestures or moral grandstanding, but because Trump’s doctrine wields recognition and rhetoric as instruments of pressure. Peace, in this framework, isn’t begged for. It’s brokered, through leverage, clarity, and unapologetic strength.
The President has made one thing unmistakably clear: he will not sacrifice American lives chasing utopian visions of global transformation. His doctrine is grounded in strength, sovereignty, and strategic clarity. Allies and adversaries alike are held to account. NATO, long a symbol of free-riding diplomacy, is finally changing, most member states now meet the 2% defense spending threshold, with several exceeding 4%. At next week’s 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, all members are expected to formally commit to an ambitious new goal: raising defense spending to 5% of GDP over the next decade. Meanwhile, America’s strategic position in the Middle East has never been more secure. Israel remains firmly protected. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and even Qatar have all expanded their security and economic partnerships with Washington, recognizing that under this President, the price of American partnership is responsibility, not dependency.
Contrast all this with the nation-building model. That model rests on a flawed anthropology: that democracy can be implanted like software, that societies are clay waiting to be molded by technocrats and soldiers. The Trump Doctrine denies this. It understands that political systems are products of history, culture, and consent. Attempts to override them with firepower produce backlash, not liberalism.
.....In truth, it is the old doctrine, the pre-Trump doctrine, that was naive. It promised democracy in Baghdad, civil society in Kandahar, unity in Tripoli. It delivered none of these. What it delivered was bloodshed, debt, and disillusionment. As J.D. Vance noted when he was in the Senate, “The neoconservatives spread democracy with B-52s. Trump spreads peace with Boeing contracts.” The line is sharp because the distinction is.
The Trump Doctrine is not without its challenges. Diplomacy with rogue regimes is never clean. Transactionalism requires judgment. But unlike its predecessors, it does not mistake aspiration for strategy. It begins with the world as it is, not as academics wish it were. And that difference makes all the difference.
The future belongs not to empire, but to prudence. If America is to endure as a force for good, it must abandon its illusions. It must stop trying to refashion the world and start securing its place within it. The Trump Doctrine offers the path: peace through strength, respect for sovereignty, and deals that deliver.
Because China stole it! ...from the U.S. or perhaps NATO. The same way Russia advanced militarily - they stole it from the West or from German scientists.
As usual, we pay for research and development; the rest of the world profits.