People's Liberation Army Air Force

The People's Liberation Army Air Force, also called the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is the main air part of the People's Liberation Army. It controls most of the air vehicles, like fighting planes, planes that carry soldiers, and bombing planes. It also looks after tools on the ground that help protect the sky, like big radars, and it controls the Airborne Corps.

The PLAAF started as a small group made by the Chinese Communist Party in 1924, during the early years of the Republic of China. It got help from the Soviet Air Forces. The PLAAF was officially created on November 11, 1949, after the Chinese Communist Party won the Chinese Civil War. At first, it used planes from the Kuomintang and the Soviet Union. It first fought in the Korean War, mostly using the Soviet MiG-15 fighting plane, against the United States Air Force (USAF).

Later, the PLAAF focused more on protecting its own skies. The 1960s and 1970s were hard because there were fewer resources and less help from the Soviet Union after the Sino-Soviet split, and the Cultural Revolution made things harder. In the 1980s, the PLAAF made changes to get newer technology. It later worked more closely with Russia in the 1990s.

In the 21st century, the PLAAF got newer and more advanced planes like the Sukhoi Su-27 and started making its own planes, such as the J-10. A big moment came in 2017 when the PLAAF got the J-20, making it the second country to have its own stealth fighting plane, after the United States. The PLAAF still uses the Xi'an H-6 long-range bombing plane, including versions that can carry regular bombs and ones that can carry nuclear weapon missiles using the JL-1.

History

Origins

The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) started in September 1924. Nine cadets finished training at Sun Yat-sen's flight school in Guangzhou. These pilots trained in the Soviet Union and later taught others. By 1949, the PLAAF had grown, with planes from the Soviet Union and several flight schools.

Founding

The first organized air unit of the People's Liberation Army formed in July 1949 at Beijing Nanyuan Airport, using captured planes. In November 1949, the PLAAF was officially founded, with headquarters in Beijing and divisions for each military region.

Korean War to the Sino-Soviet Split

During the Korean War, the PLAAF grew quickly, creating many new units. The Soviet Union gave planes and support, helping build China's aviation industry. By the 1950s, the PLAAF was one of the largest air forces in the world.

1970s to 1980s

The Cultural Revolution caused big problems for the PLAAF. Schools closed, and operations were chaotic. In the 1980s, reforms began to improve training and organization. The Air Force worked on modernizing and bettering pilot education.

1990s to 2000s

In the 1990s, the PLAAF had older planes and limited abilities. Efforts started to modernize with new fighters like the Sukhoi Su-27 and domestic programs. By the mid-2000s, the PLAAF began replacing older planes with newer, more modern ones.

2010s

In the 2010s, the PLAAF changed quickly, becoming a major global competitor. It improved its fighters, missiles, and early warning systems. Joint operations with other branches increased, and reforms improved training and organization. By 2020, the PLAAF was one of the most capable air forces.

2020s

Since 2020, the PLAAF has kept modernizing, replacing older training planes and expanding its abilities. New planes and better training programs have made it more efficient. The PLAAF has grown its fleet of advanced fighters and added new abilities like electronic warfare and stealth technology. By 2025, the PLAAF had updated its forces, focusing on advanced systems and using fewer foreign suppliers.

Personnel

Main article: Ranks of the People's Liberation Army Air Force

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force uses the same ranks as other parts of the army, but they add "Air Force" to show they are part of the air service. You can find more details in the article about the ranks of the People's Liberation Army or by looking at an individual rank.

The main symbol of the PLAAF is the PLA emblem, which shows a red star with yellow edges and yellow Chinese characters for "eight" and "one". This symbol is used on planes, usually shown on the wings and the back of the planes, often in a less bright version.

Organizational structure

After changes in 2015, the Chinese Air Force changed how it is organized. Its headquarters now plans and builds forces instead of handling daily fighting. New air force units under each theater command now do most of the fighting work. The headquarters still controls some special planes, transport planes, and the Airborne Corps.

Each theater command has its own air force unit. These units manage the planes and crews in their area. Before 2015, there were different air force groups and bases, but they were reorganized. Today, planes are grouped into brigades, each with about 24 airplanes, to make operations more efficient.

Branches

Aviation Force

The PLAAF began with a structure of corps, divisions, regiments, groups, and squads. By 1971, it had 50 air divisions. Each division usually had two combat regiments and one training regiment. These divisions lasted until the 1980s when the first reductions happened. By the 2000s, the number of divisions dropped to 29, and then to just 9 by 2017. These 9 divisions focus on long-range operations like bombers and transports, and report directly to headquarters. Today, fighter and attack planes are organized into brigades under bases, except for airlift and search and rescue brigades.

Aerobatic display team

The August 1st aerobatic team was created in 1962 and is the first team of the PLAAF. It mainly flies the J-10 fighter and recently upgraded to the J-10C version in 2023. Before that, it flew the J-5 and J-7. Other teams like Sky Wing and Red Falcon were started in 2011 and use different aircraft.

Airborne Force Branch

The Airborne Force was created in 1950 under the PLAAF. It became a formal branch in 1992 as the 15th Airborne Corps. In 2017, it was renamed simply the Airborne Corps. It was reorganized into six airborne brigades, an air assault brigade, a Special Forces brigade, an air transport brigade, a helicopter regiment, and a training base. The Corps is designed for quick reactions, air assaults, and special missions.

Ground-to-Air Missile Force

The Ground Air Defense Branch came from merging the Surface-to-Air Missile Branch and Antiaircraft Artillery Branch around 2007. Its units include SAM divisions, brigades, and regiments, which report to bases rather than headquarters. After reforms in 2023, it gained control over air defense for areas like Hainan and parts of the coast, as well as Shandong Province.

Radar Forces

The first radar units were established in 1949. In 1955, radar troops became a formal branch. Today, radar forces have three types of sites: those at airfields for air traffic control, long and medium-range radars along borders, and over-the-horizon radars on coastlines and islands for early warning. In the 2010s, radar regiments became brigades controlling many stations. Radar brigades collect and share intelligence with PLAAF units and are now under bases.

Electronic Countermeasures Branch

The PLAAF’s electronic warfare troops became an independent branch in 2009. Headquarters likely manages all electronic countermeasures activities.

Communications Corps

The PLAAF’s communications units became a branch in 2008. They provide communication, navigation, and command support across the entire PLAAF. Each level of command has its own signals troops, and there are training bases as well.

Airbases

For a more comprehensive list, see List of People's Liberation Army Air Force airbases.

The Chinese Air Force has more than 150 air bases. These bases are in different places where the air force works.

Equipment

Main article: List of active People's Liberation Army Air Force aircraft, List of active People's Liberation Army aircraft, List of historic aircraft of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, and People's Liberation Army Air Force Airborne Corps § Equipment

The People's Liberation Army Air Force has a large group of about 4,000 airplanes. About 2,566 of these are used for fighting, which makes China have the second-biggest group of fighting airplanes in the world. In 2023, many fighting airplanes that were used on ships were moved to the People's Liberation Army Air Force to make things simpler.

Pilots who fly these fighting airplanes get to fly about 100 to 150 times each year. The air force has been working on special airplanes that can fly without a person inside for a long time and continues to do so.

Air defense

The People's Liberation Army Air Force uses many tools to keep airplanes away, like special machines that watch the sky, systems that can confuse enemies, and different ways to stop incoming attacks. These tools are moved around a lot to stay safe from enemy plans.