Airbases, Not Jets, Are Primary Targets

Wargames and recent combat incidents suggest most aircraft losses will result from strikes on bases, logistics nodes, and support infrastructure rather than air‑to‑air engagements. Modern fifth‑generation fighters rely on concentrated maintenance, parts, fuel and diagnostic infrastructure that, once damaged, degrade sortie generation more effectively than losing individual airframes. — If true, this shifts defense priorities from fighter procurement to hardening, dispersal logistics, stockpiles, and resilient basing — with big implications for allied posture, budgets, and escalation calculus in the Western Pacific.