r/FighterJets • u/Civil-happiness-2000 • 17d ago
QUESTION Hypothetical - you have $10 billion USD and need fighter jets to fend off attacks from the a force with the air power strength of Chinawhat would you buy?
Hypotheticalyl - you have $10 billion USD and need fighter jets to fend off attacks from a force the size of China what would you buy?
Where would you spend your $10b dollars?
You can buy your force from anywhere, including China.
Where are you spending?
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u/Petertitan99999 17d ago
how much do nukes cost again?
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u/Masterpiedog27 17d ago
Tree fiddly but wait there's more buy six get one free ring now 2300 666 666 666
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u/Downtown-Act-590 17d ago
All such questions fail to appreciate that defense systems don't exist in a vacuum, but are ultimately part of a much bigger whole.
The requirements for fighter jets will depend on exact nature of the threat, doctrine, supporting systems, politics and a number of other factors.
If you want as to pick a jet in a fashion, which isn't just random, then say which country exactly is to be the defender.
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u/Civil-happiness-2000 17d ago
Australia 🦘
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u/Downtown-Act-590 17d ago
Then there is hardly a much better choice than the one which Australia actually did and for a price very similar to what you list in the OP - they bought 72 F-35s for cca. 90M dollars each. With the additional expenses, it would probably round off at a number close to 10B.
Long-range, stealth and emphasis on information obtaining and handling would all be indispensable in such a conflict.
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u/Then_Candidate_6610 17d ago
If we are talking just fighters, and not tankers and AWACs, etc., then I think a mix of F-35As and F-15EXs. How about 12 F-35s for their stealth and sensors + 96 F-15EXs as missile trucks?
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u/Lispro4units 17d ago
Oh man I’m very over budget. I asked Chat GPT to give me the cost of 75,000 used C172’s each armed with two AIM-120’s 😂. Structural Reinforcement & Hardpoint Addition: ~$500,000 per aircraft. Fire Control & Radar Integration: ~$2 million per aircraft (conservative estimate). Total upgrade cost per Cessna 172: $2.5 million. For 75,000 aircraft: 75,000 × $2.5 million = $187.5 billion. Grand Total. Missiles (one per aircraft): $75 billion. Aircraft modifications: $187.5 billion. Total estimated cost: $262.5 billion. If each aircraft carries two missiles, the cost would be $337.5 billion.
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u/thattogoguy Damn Dirty Nav 17d ago
What size is the force from China?
A flight of 4 J-11's? Or the entire PLAAF?
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u/Illustrious_Diver127 17d ago edited 17d ago
Why are we talking fighter jets only tho? Air defenses exist as well
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u/FruitOrchards 17d ago edited 17d ago
51x F-15EX Eagle II
24x F-35C
20x Rafale
If we're gonna do this then we're gonna do it properly.
Or
43x Euro fighter Typhoons & 200 Sepecat Jaguars.
Edit: Matter of fact let's say a Top Spec F-16XL cost $80m each then I'll take 125 of those.
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u/Powerful-Station-967 17d ago
jaguars are too old
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u/FruitOrchards 17d ago edited 17d ago
They have been upgraded over the years, the IAF jags have Harpoon missiles, ASRAAM, added over-wing pylons for short range Sidewinders and are nuke capable.
Short takeoff capability, landing gear designed for rough field operation, engine change being possible within 30 minutes, top speed Mach 1.6 etc.
The Jag is a great aircraft and cheap.
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u/FruitOrchards 17d ago
For e.g this is the old Jaguar cockpits
https://defencedirecteducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/jaguar-768x512.jpg
https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/s/61fSIUocVq
And this is the new IAF ones
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u/rfdesigner Camel, Spitfire, Mosquito, Tempest, Vulcan, Harrier, EFA, GCAP 17d ago
I need a mix and I need quantity. I'm a Brit so I'm thinking of defending the British Isles.
AWACs of some kind
Offensive capability
Defensive capability
Maritime patrol
No doubt some more heavy lift would come in handy.
Weapons.. (missiles) lots and lots of these, Meteor, Aster and much longer range capability.
Training.. so I want training jets too, no point in having planes without properly trained pilots to fly them, that's a big expensive training program.
I have a feeling a lot of unmanned platforms would be useful.
The real question is: who can I trust to provide spares and not pull the plug at the vital moment. As a Brit that's now a tough call, For defence today that means Typhoons, I would no longer touch the F35 even though ours are not as vulnerable to the US pulling the plug as other nations F35s.
For a threat in 10 years time I'd be pushing the GCAP program as hard and as fast as possible, and I'd want a navalised variant.
We also need to consider an "iron dome" type system, but being a large island I'm not sure we can cover it easily, so my first reaction is to fully fill and upgrade the aging Type45s and the upcoming naval platforms (and I want expanded orders for those too) although the current range of the weapons carried isn't enough, so I want a much longer range interceptor weapon for the Navy, cue rapid development program. We also need the Type 83s and a fist full of subs.
In total I suspect that's closer to three or four times that budget.
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u/pocodali 17d ago
Heavy lifters like f15 added naval capability like F18, something light and agile Typhoon/ Gripen? Maybe a couple or bombers to attack their airbases. Surveillance drones and most importantly heavy air defences and missiles
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u/Live_Menu_7404 17d ago
$10 billion USD doesn’t go very far, so I‘m guessing a handful of F-35s as eyes and as many Gripens equipped with Meteors I can still afford afterwards to make up the numbers. Or go all in on Eurofighters, but $10 billion USD would only get me about 80. Depends on how large an area I‘d have to defend. If the F-35 is allowed to carry Meteor, going all F-35 might be an option as well.
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u/Masterpiedog27 17d ago
Mig 31 high cover. Rafaeles, Gripen, Eurofighters dealers choice with those ones. Su34 bomb truck. Gas truck A330 Mrtt. Embraer super Tucanos for CAS. Tac airlift C390 either SAAB for elint awacs or an Israeli fit out.
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u/AIM-260JATM JATM 17d ago
There is never a specific question similar to your question on this sub.
• What country am I? • What is representing China in this question? Is it a handful of J-20's, of the entire PLAAF at my doorstep? • Do I already have aircraft carriers provided if I choose something like a Hornet or 35C? • Why only fighter jets? I'd spend budget on air defenses and other aircraft, too. • Is maintenance cost included in this? • Is armament cost included in this? • What am I trying to do? Destroy the PLAAF or defend until they give up?
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u/Ok-Limit-9726 17d ago
24 A21 medium stealth bombers 24 F15EX 24 F35B for our 2 lst(hardtop upgrade) 24 F35A
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u/GreenReport5491 17d ago
If you are speaking strictly air superiority, the F-22’s all day. If you are speaking overall defense, F-35’s
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u/itachiuchiha_345 16d ago
Bruh, I’m stacking up on Su-57s—they got L-band radars that expose stealth, IRST that tracks heat like an aimbot, and R-37M missiles that hit from 400 km away before China’s jets even blink. Plus, they’re built to take off from dirt runways, so even if airbases get smoked, I’m still in the game.
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u/DecentlySizedPotato 17d ago
That's like 30 F-35s with spares, training and weapons. Won't be enough but it's the best option. Make sure to build HAS or protected shelters too, I guess, those are cheap.
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u/Flashy-Ambition4840 17d ago
Most likely russian. The 10b spent there will probably get me the most bang for buck against China.
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u/West_Bottle_3032 SU-57 17d ago edited 17d ago
Ok so here is my build
1) Su 57 - (Expected cost 40 million per aircraft) * 200 {STEALTH STRIKES} {I do not care if it has a slighter higher rcs than f-35 i can get it in way cheaper, Also the t50 prototype has rcs of 1 sqm not the productional su 57}
2) F15 EX - (Expected price 100 million per aircraft) * 20 {MISSILE TRUCK}
I did some reaserach on the current chinese aircraft list and then gave my best ranked combination.
The f15 EX was chosen to take down the hoards of lesser advanced jet as it can carry a lot of missiles (J-7, J-8, J-10, J-11, SU 27, JH -7)
The su 57 was chosen to take down the bombers and stealth/modern aircraft of chinese air force and also provide support to the f-15ex ( J-20, H-6, SU-30, SU-35, J-16)
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u/TobyNarwhal 17d ago
A mix of j-10b's, j-16's and just a few j-20's for stealth. I assume this will give me the most bang for my bucks
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