Can a single J-36 stealth fighter slip through a future US air defence network, find a target ship approaching the Philippines and deliver an anti-ship missile strike?
In our second full-scale next-generation air combat simulation, we take control of the Chinese forces. This speculative 2030s Sea Power scenario brings together stealth aircraft, unmanned teammates, reconnaissance satellites and two US carrier strike groups.
The aircraft, weapons and sensor capabilities are modelled around the assumptions of this fictional wargame, rather than confirmed future performance.
This is a fictional Sea Power scenario created for entertainment purposes only. It uses speculative representations of future aircraft, weapons and sensors and does not demonstrate confirmed real-world capabilities or predict an actual conflict.
The mission: get one strike aircraft through
The primary objective is to infiltrate a single PLAAF J-36 carrying YJ-15 supersonic anti-ship missiles into US-controlled airspace.
Reaching the area is only part of the challenge. The pilot must locate the target vessel and launch the strike while avoiding the aircraft and air defence systems protecting its approach.
Other Chinese aircraft have a supporting task: engage the defenders and create an opening for the strike aircraft.
A layered US defensive network
Two US carrier strike groups stand in the way, equipped with FA-XX next-generation carrier fighters.
They are supported by USAF F-47 fighters and FQ-44 Collaborative Combat Aircraft, armed in this scenario with AIM-260 air-to-air missiles.
Together, these forces form a defensive network intended to intercept Chinese aircraft before they can reach the Philippines. Patriot batteries around Manila add another threat if the strike aircraft gets through the fighter screen.
Satellites, sensor fusion and hunter-killer teams
The Chinese forces use reconnaissance satellites with infrared, optical and electronic intelligence sensors to estimate the positions of US aircraft.
J-36 fighters and GJ-11 unmanned combat aerial vehicles then operate in coordinated hunter-killer teams, sharing sensor information to help locate and engage the defenders.
Using PL-16 air-to-air missiles, these teams attempt to strike first and draw attention away from the J-36 assigned to the anti-ship mission.
Can the diversion create an opening?
The strike aircraft must exploit the confusion without becoming another target. Even a successful air battle does not guarantee that it can find the ship, evade the remaining defences and deliver its weapons.
Can satellite reconnaissance and coordinated unmanned teaming create the opening it needs, or will the US defensive network stop the mission?
Watch the Sea Power simulation below to see how it unfolds.
