US Counterterrorism Aircraft Could Be Surprisingly Useful in a Taiwan War — The Diplomat

A fully armed MQ-9 Reaper taxis down a runway in Afghanistan, Nov. 4, 2007. After decades of fighting rogue states and non-state actors, the U.S. military is preparing for conflict with a much more powerful adversary: the People’s Republic of China. This would differ from any of the United States’ recent wars, both in scale and in kind. The U.S. military’s current capabilities would be inadequate. However, some equipment central for the Global War on Terror (GWOT) could remain surprisingly relevant in the Pacific. Three types of aircraft would struggle to serve their traditional roles in contested airspace, but can be adapted for new ones: medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drones, subsonic ground-attack planes, and attack helicopters. These are known for striking targets from relatively short distances, and for lacking both speed and stealth. Accordingly, using them against a modern adversary would pose severe risks. This is why they might seem useless outside of asymmetrical warfare. Despite these drawbacks, they’re fully capable of four important tasks: shooting down Shahed-style drones, sinking speedboat-style sea-drones, launching certain long-range missiles, and finding targets. Aircraft often associated with the GWOT can bolster U.S. air defense, which is likely insufficient for countering China. In an attempted invasion of Taiwan, Beijing would be strongly incentivized to use Shahed-style drones. Many U.S.-aligned military bases and warships in the region...