Not many who follow such things go to Business Insider for military equipment specs and info ...
RE: China’s J-20 stealth fighter has no cannon
Let’s not underestimate these Chicoms. They look at things from a long term perspective. This is just first iteration.
Who cares what the mission is for the airplane?
The real question is why are we doing business with a country intent on threatening us and arming up for world dominance?
Is cheap crap at Walmart worth this?
A cannon is of such limited use today in aircraft, its the weapon of last resort... and likelihood of either side scoring a kill with a cannon in air to air combat is insanely low.
A Business Insider review found that the last time a US plane shot down an enemy aircraft with guns was most likely the Cold War-era tank buster A-10 downing an Iraqi helicopter in 1991.
Anyone who looks at the issue should understand that a 5th generation fighter in a turning dogfight using guns has already squandered the vast majority of its tactical advantages, likely due to poor training or an inept pilot.
Chinese pilots are trained in Kamikaze
Today’s sexy jets that do have cannons are more like decoration. The rotary cannon on an F-16 can empty its store of ammo in a couple of seconds. Then you’re back to missiles and flipping bird fingers.
“But today’s F-22s, J-20s, Su-35s, and other highly maneuverable jets give the guns an “extremely limited use” in combat, according to Berke.
“Berke said the US most likely hadn’t scored an air-to-air-guns kill in decades.”
It makes no sense to me that anyone would consider a cannon on a stealth fighter.
To include ours.
Same foresight that went into the planning of the F-4.
Cannons are only good for staffing anymore. Air to air middles are for aircraft, dog fights are history.