By: Kris Osborn
The DF-26 alone could force U.S. carriers to operate thousands of miles offshore, where a carrier air wing can't strike without non-stealthy aerial refuelers that make easy targets. That's why the Navy's answer starts with its own air wing: E-2D Hawkeyes, drones, and stealthy F-35Cs working to seize air superiority before China's J-35 can close in.