Forget the U.S. Air Force’s F-22 or F-35: China Is Training for Battle Against France’s Dassault Rafale

Forget the U.S. Air Force’s F-22 or F-35: China Is Training for Battle Against France’s Dassault Rafale

Summary and Key Points: China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has revealed that the Dassault Rafale—not the F-22 or F-35—is its primary “gold-standard” benchmark for pilot training. In recent war-gaming exercises in Xuchang, J-16 “bomb trucks” engaged simulated Rafale aggressors to test AI-driven combat engines. Dassault Rafale Fighter Special. Image Credit: Creative Commons. -Chinese designers openly admire the French jet’s ability to integrat…