--- title: "Top USAF General In Pacific “Not Deterred” By Drones, Missiles To Be Showcased At Huge Chinese Parade" description: "The head of U.S. Pacific Air Forces has put out his own strategic messaging ahead of a major show of force in Beijing." date: "2025-09-02" modified: "2025-09-02" authors: - name: "Joseph Trevithick" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/joseph-trevithick.md" url: "https://www.twz.com/air/top-usaf-general-in-pacific-not-deterred-by-drones-missiles-to-be-showcased-at-huge-chinese-parade" categories: - "Air" - "Air Forces" - "Around The Globe" - "China" - "Drones" - "Indo-Pacific" - "News & Features" - "U.S. Air Force" tags: - "Air Space & Cyber 2025" --- # Top USAF General In Pacific “Not Deterred” By Drones, Missiles To Be Showcased At Huge Chinese Parade ![The U.S. Air Force's top officer in the Pacific says a key takeaway from China's huge military parade tomorrow will be that "we are not deterred."]() *Chinese internet* The U.S. Air Force's top officer in the Pacific says a key takeaway from China's huge military parade tomorrow will be that "we are not deterred." Several [new Chinese air combat drones]() and air and missile defense [systems, as well as a host of other]() advanced capabilities, will be showcased at the event in Beijing, as *TWZ* [has been reporting on already](). Air Force Gen. Kevin Schneider, head of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), offered his own strategic signaling on the forthcoming Chinese parade during [a virtual talk hosted today]() by the Air & Space Forces Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Schneider was responding to a direct question from *Aviation Week*'s Steve Trimble, who specifically highlighted the new air combat drones, as well as the [HQ-29 high-end anti-ballistic missile system](), that are among the Chinese systems set to make their official public debut tomorrow. ![]() *Drones and other materiel seen at a base outside of Beijing during preparations for tomorrow's parade in Beijing. *Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies* Wood, Stephen* "Nations like China, and North Korea, and Russia, and others do these kind of events. There's certainly a big focus on messaging," Schneider said. "You know, messaging is certainly a factor there, but I think the takeaway for this is we are not deterred." "We will continue to stay ahead of the challenges. We will continue to find ways to advance our capabilities and to deal with potential adversary systems as they are developed and fielded," he continued. "I maintain a high degree of optimism that we have been successful in doing that, and we will continue to be successful in finding ways to mitigate threats by others as they are developed, and advancing our own capabilities, to be able to break down doors, to get into anti-access area/denial areas, and to be able to operate in weapons engagement zones, something that we have done as a nation since day one." Earlier in the talk, Schneider had also offered a basic rubric for understanding deterrence, which he said was imparted to him by a former head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM). "He described deterrence as a bit of a mathematical equation. It was capability times willingness times messaging. And his point was, if any of those factors are zero, then deterrence is zero. It wasn't an addition problem. It was a multiplication problem." "Within that, capability is the outsized factor in deterrence," he added. "So, finding ways that we can continue to improve our positions, our capabilities, and to be able to adapt ahead of what a potential adversary is doing, is by far the most important of those factors." Schneider specifically name-checked [the B-21 Raider stealth bomber]() and the [F-47 sixth-generation fighter]() as examples of how the Air Force is advancing its capabilities. New [Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones]() are another centerpiece of the Air Force's future plans, including in partnership with future crewed aircraft like the F-47 and B-21. ![]() *A graphic the US Air Force put out in May with details about the F-47 and the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A drones now under development as part of the CCA program, as well as other existing crewed combat jets. *USAF** ![]() *The first pre-production B-21 Raider in flight. *USAF** "By and large, it's China that occupies the main focus of our attention," including the "growing size and capability of the People's Liberation Army \[PLA\]," Schneider acknowledged. He also highlighted "the aggressive behaviors that go along with that, and that plays out in the West Philippine Sea, against the Philippines, on an almost daily basis, as well as ... in and around Taiwan, with the multi-domain pressure activities that take place with regularity." The remarks from the current PACAF commander are in line with other comments in recent years from senior Air Force officers about the capabilities of PLA, especially its growing fleet of [J-20 stealth fighters](). “It’s \[the J-20\] not anything to lose a lot of sleep over,” Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, then head of PACAF, told [members of the media, including *TWZ*](), on the sidelines of the Air & Space Force Association's Air, Space & Cyber Conference back in 2022. “Certainly, we’re watching them closely and seeing how they felt and how they operate them.” “Well, I’m like Gen. Wilsbach,” now-retired Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, then Air Force Chief of Staff, had said while speaking separately at the same event. “\[The J-20 is\] not something to lose a lot of sleep over, but I’m gonna pay attention to it.” “I don’t think that it’s a dominating aircraft at this point, compared to what we have \[in terms of stealthy [F-22 Raptors]() and [F-35 Lightnings]()\],” Wilsbach [said]() at the 2023 Air, Space & Cyber Conference. “They’ve done some good copying… pretty much most of the technology from that airplane \[the J-20\] was stolen from the U.S.” ![]() *A row of J-20s. *PLAAF** Wilsbach was most recently head of Air Combat Command (ACC) and had been expected to retire soon, but is now [reportedly among the contenders to succeed]() Gen. David Allvin as Air Force Chief of Staff. All this being said, China has been pushing ahead with its own slew of new and advanced airpower developments in recent years. This is underscored by the air combat drones, or mockups thereof, that will be officially shown for the first time at the parade tomorrow. https://twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1962888977670721838 https://twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1962888984918380708 https://twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1962888991843168324 Two of the new Chinese air combat drones, seen in the picture below, notably reflect the same kind of dichotomy, broadly speaking, in terms of configuration and performance, that has been seen in the pair of designs currently being developed for the U.S. Air Force CCA program. ![]() **Chinese internet** ![]() *A composite rendering of the YFQ-42A, at bottom, and YFQ-44A, at top, that are currently being developed under the US Air Force's CCA program. *USAF** The [GJ-11 Sharp Sword]() stealthy flying-wing uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV), or further iterations of that design, including ones [intended for naval operations]() from carriers and big deck amphibious ships, will also be on display at the event. The GJ-11 represents a capability set that the [Chinese are investing in heavily](), but that the U.S. military continues to eschew completely, at least publicly. This is despite the United States being a leader in that arena for decades, as you can read more about in [this seminal *TWZ* feature](). https://twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1962820077847236886 All of this reflects China's [ever-more prominent position]() in [the uncrewed aviation space](). This was further punctuated this year by the emergence of what appears to be a very large, high-altitude, long-endurance, stealthy flying wing-type drone, which [*TWZ* was first to report on]() and [that may now be flying](). ![]() *The very large flying wing design seen at China’s secretive test base near Malan in Xinjiang province in a satellite image taken on May 14, 2025. *PHOTO © 2025 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION** Crewed military aviation developments have also continued apace in China. This includes [the J-36 and J-XDS]() (also referred to as the J-50) next-generation crew combat jets that broke cover last December, [followed shortly thereafter]() by a new jet-powered airborne early warning and control aircraft [based on the Y-20 airlifter](). Just last month, another [new Chinese stealth tactical jet design](), which may or may not be piloted, emerged. A [two-seat variant of the J-20](), which would be well suited to the airborne drone controller role, and [the J-35](), a next-generation carrier-based fighter, also look poised to enter service. ![]() *The J-36, at left, and the J-XDS (also referred to as the J-50, at right. *Chinese internet** As noted earlier, the parade in Beijing tomorrow will serve as a spotlight for a host of other advanced PLA capabilities, including new [ballistic and cruise missiles, air and missile defense]() systems, [armored vehicles, and uncrewed maritime platforms](). Many of these systems factor directly into the Chinese [anti-access and aerial denial 'bubbles']() that Schneider mentioned as being among the challenges the Air Force will need to stay ahead of in order to succeed in any future high-end fight in the Pacific. This is also part of the [expanding and evolving threat ecosystem]() facing U.S. airbases and other facilities across the region. "I think there's a couple of takeaways for us and things that we continue to take a look at \[when it comes to base defense and resilience\]," Schneider also said during today's talk. "One is detection and sensing, our ability to recognize that our attacks are inbound, or even before they're inbound, how an enemy or a potential enemy is starting to posture their forces. So indication and warning, and those capabilities that give us indication and warnings." Then there is "our ability to flush, our ability to get aircraft into the air quickly, to put fuel in aircraft, to put munitions on aircraft," he continued. "As an outcome of that, \[there is\] our ability to repair runways, and what it is that we need for rapid airfield damage repair capability, whether it's pre-staging equipment or new and innovative ways of putting fixes and taking holes and turning them into usable surfaces again." The PACAF commander also highlighted the ability to rapidly deploy forces, something the Air Force [is focused heavily on]() as part of its [Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concepts of operations](), as well as [active air and missile defenses]() provided by other services. Only a brief mention was given to talk of more physical hardening of facilities against attacks, which remains [a source of very heated debate]() within [the Air Force]() and [the rest of the U.S. military](), as you can read more about [here](). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKGeCpd0OjM Altogether, Schneider's comments today are certainly meant to underscore confidence, at least publicly, that the U.S. Air Force and the rest of the U.S. military remain ahead of the PLA on the capability curve. At the same time, despite the continued downplaying by American officials, there are clear signs of growing concern about more and more advanced Chinese military developments. *Contact the author: joe@twz.com* ## Author Joseph is *TWZ’s* Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Bluesky]()