"Military and Military Sub-Plane" Author: Lu Zhi
Some time ago, the United States claimed that it could export F15EX to Egypt , and Israel also expressed support for the United States' approach not long after. The reason is that the F15 and F16 exported by the United States to Israel are different from the same type of aircraft exported to other countries, especially Egypt. Moreover, there have been changes in the United States recently. The U.S. Congress suggested that if Egypt can cancel the contract signed with Russia to introduce Su-35 fighter jets, then the United States can in principle export the more advanced F35 fighter jets to Egypt. The question then arises. Faced with the advanced F35, will Egypt finally accept this proposal?
▲Picture source: Internet
Let’s first talk about why Egypt cooperated with Russia to introduce Su-35 fighter jets after purchasing more than 200 F16 fighter jets . After the F15 came out, Egypt wanted to introduce this heavy fighter . The heavy fighter's airborne time and air combat capabilities are stronger than the light fighter . This is understandable. However, after Egypt later purchased the American F16, it found that the F16 it used was very different from the Israeli F16. The Israeli F16 was not only more advanced and could use better weapons, but the United States also made changes to the use and deployment of the F16. Egypt is very dissatisfied with the many restrictions.
▲Picture source: Internet
In contrast, although the Russian fighter is weaker than the same type of American fighter jets in terms of technical strength, there is not a big gap, and the technical level of the fighter jets exported by Russia is even It is higher than the self-use model, allowing buyers to choose advanced equipment from other countries. Although there are many articles on the Internet that overly disparage the Su-35 fighter jet, in fact, when comparing the world's advanced fourth-and-a-half-generation fighter jets except stealth fighters, the Su-35 is indeed the best. Israel also has its own considerations in supporting the United States' export of F15s to Egypt. First of all, the F15s exported by the United States to Egypt are definitely not as advanced as its own, and it also has more advanced F35 fighter jets. It still has an absolute advantage and has chips to gain in the future. other advanced weapons. For the United States, exporting weapons to Egypt can make money and attack Russia. It can be regarded as the best of both worlds.
▲Israeli F35. Image source: Internet
But for Egypt, there is no big difference between buying the F15EX from the United States and the Su-35 from Russia, especially at the technical level. Purchasing American aircraft will still be subject to various restrictions. After all, the relationship between the United States and Israel is well known. Purchasing Su-35 fighter jets from Russia will not be subject to Russian restrictions, and it is considered to be buying your own aircraft.
The United States may also know that exporting F15EX to Egypt is not very attractive, so it puts the F35 fighter jet on the table as a bargaining chip. Compared with the F15EX and Su-35 fighter jets, the F35 is half a generation ahead and has obvious advantages in stealth and battlefield perception. Therefore, purely considering air combat and deterrence capabilities, the F35 is significantly stronger than these two non-stealth fighters. Currently, the only country using F35 in the Middle East is Israel. Other countries do not have equipment for various reasons, such as being too close to our country or using our country's 5G communication equipment, which is restricted by the United States. To put it simply, the F35 is a trump card in the U.S. arms export market. Once it does not follow the United States, it cannot buy the F35. Once the United States needs a country to follow itself, the F35 will become a trump card, and the whole world will There is only such a genuine stealth fighter on the export market.
▲Picture source: Internet
It was the US ally Germany that broke the deadlock. Germany and my country have a lot of private cooperation, including 5G equipment. In order to fight against Russia and win over Europe, the United States agreed to export F35A fighter jets to Germany. Now that this has started, it will be a matter of time for other countries to break this rule.
▲Picture source: Internet
So for Egypt, is it really necessary to buy F35 for these? In fact, this is not the case. Egypt is not a military power, and it is not even the strongest in the Middle East. It has more independent options to purchase Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, and will not be restricted by other countries during wartime. Whether it is the F15EX or the F35, it is impossible for the United States not to restrict it, otherwise Israel will not be able to pass this test. The United States must first protect its own interests and those of Israel.
▲Picture source: Internet
Secondly, with the gradual changes in the world situation and the ebb and flow of the strength of various countries, Egypt may not have any choice except F35 fighter jets in the future. More and more countries are pursuing national defense independence, and NATO , EU and even Israel, which are deeply bound to the United States, will be more or less restricted by the United States. Even though the United States has a very good relationship with Israel now, when Israel once had a war with neighboring countries, it threatened to use nuclear weapons . The United States still joined forces with the Soviet Union to suppress Israel. Israel even fired at the Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft that came for reconnaissance. Missile interception. So in the final analysis, the most important thing between countries is to consider their own interests. Egypt knows that the United States is unreliable. It has already purchased MiG-29M fighter jets from Russia and has a very high evaluation of this batch of fighter jets. This is why the subsequent Su-35 project was launched.
▲Picture source: Internet
Of course, in addition to temptation, the United States has a last resort, which is political and economic sanctions . This is obviously not something that a country like Egypt can withstand. Therefore, Egypt's purchase of Su-35 fighter jets is still at a deadlock, and the United States will never give up.
▲Picture source: Internet
