People's Liberation Army Air Force
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) (simplified Chinese: 解放军空军; pinyin: Jiěfàngjūn Kōngjūn) is the aviation branch of the People's Liberation Army, the military of the People's Republic of China.
History
The PLAAF was founded in 1949 shortly after the establishment of the People's Republic of China. At the beginning it relied heavily on Soviet help and was armed with Soviet aircraft. Within 6 years, the PLAAF began manufacturing its own aircraft, but initially these were copies of Soviet types. The first of them was the J-4, corresponding to the MiG-15.
Soviet involvement also extended to training combat pilots. Those took part to some degree in the Korean War, where Chinese pilots along with their Russian counterparts often engaged American aircraft in combat. This increased cooperation between the two Communist nations also allowed the Chinese to begin building their own versions of the MiG-17 and MiG-19: the J-5 and J-6.
The 1960s proved to be a difficult period for the PLAAF. This was due to the break in relations with the Soviet Union, and as a consequence the Chinese aircraft industry almost collapsed. The outbreak of the Vietnam War helped it to recover, though, as the PRC government began providing the forces of North Vietnam with J-4s, J-5s, and some J-6s. The 1960s also saw the first indigenous Chinese designs, namely the J-8.
Although the PLAAF received significant support from Western nations in the 1980s when China was seen as a counterweight to Soviet power, this support ended in 1989 as a result of the Chinese crackdown on the Tiananmen protests of 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ironically, China's former foe, Russia, became its principal arms supplier to the effect that Chinese economic growth allowed Russia to sustain its aerospace industry.
Between the Vietnam War and the early 1990s, the PLAAF's flying consisted mostly of large numbers of near-obsolete Soviet planes. The main mission scenario under consideration by the PLAAF during this time was to support the PLA in defending China against a massive Soviet tank invasion. Under the doctrine of People's War, Chinese air strategy involved large numbers of short-range low-technology fighters. This mix of forces would not have stood up well to the Republic of China Air Force, which had fewer but much more modern planes such as the F-16 and Mirage 2000.
Modernisation Program
In the early 1990s, the PLAAF began a program of modernization, motivated by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the possibility of military conflict with the Republic of China on Taiwan, perhaps also involving the United States. This process began with the acquisition of Su-27s in the early 1990s and the development of various fourth-generation aircraft including the domestic J-10, and the JF-17 in collaboration with Pakistan. The PLAAF also strived to improve its pilot training and continued to retire obsolete aircraft. This resulted in a reduction of the overall number of aircraft in the PLAAF with a concurrent increase in quality.
The 21st century has also seen another jump ahead in the modernization program with China's huge economic growth. It acquired 152 Su-30MKK's from 2000 to 2003, and 24 upgraded Su-30MKK2's in 2004. Production of the J-10 began in 2002. The PLAAF also began developing its own tanker aircraft, which it lacked so far, by modifying old Soviet planes such as the Tu-16 Badger (in China known as the H-6). In 2005 it announced plans to buy approximately 30 IL-76 transport planes and eight Il-78 tanker planes from Russia, which would greatly increase its troop airlift capability, and offer extended range to many aircraft.
In 2003, there were signs that the European Union would lift its arms embargo against the PRC. One hardware item in which the PRC was apparently strongly interested was the French Mirage 2000 fighter, which had also been sold to Taiwan. However, the embargo was kept in 2005, and it seems unlikely that fully built offensive hardware will be allowed for export to China from the EU even when the embargo is lifted. In that case, China would concentrate on buying avionics and similar technology.
The current goal is to have a mostly fourth-generation air force, giving it an advantage over the older fourth-generation aircrafts of the Republic of China. However, the US may join in a potential conflict, and will start fielding fifth-generation F-22s in 2006 and F-35s several years later. Fortunately for the PLAAF, these American aircraft programs have suffered large budget overruns and delays and thus are planning to build much smaller numbers than originally planned. Other comparable fifth-generation fighters are the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale, but China seems unlikely to meet these in combat in the near future. The PLAAF is also developing its own fifth-generation fighter, the J-XX, as a possible counter to these Western fighters, however it may not be produced until late in the next decade.
The fourteen astronauts selected for the Shenzhou human spaceflight program in 1998 were all fighter pilots in the PLAAF.
Aircraft
Bombers
- H-5 - version of the Il-28
- H-6 - version of the Tu-16 Badger
- H-9
Fighter Bombers
Air Superiority Fighters
- J-4 - version of the MiG-15
- J-5 - version of the MiG-17
- J-6 - version of the MiG-19
- J-7 - version of the MiG-21
- J-8
- J-9 - cancelled in favor of the Super-7 project which eventually evolved into the FC-1/JF-17
- Su-27 - comparable to American F-15
- J-11 - version of the Su-27
Multirole Fighters
- FC-1/JF-17 Thunder - 3.5-generation fighter being produced in joint venture with Pakistan, peformance comparable to new model MiG-29s (excluding MiG-29/35), not in PLAAF yet
- J-10 - fourth generation domestic, fielded in limited numbers, comparable to American F-16
- Su-30MKK - Current mainstay of the PLAAF, comparable to American F-15E
- Su-30MKK2 - Upgraded version, fielded in limited numbers
Stealth Fighter
- J-XX - Western designation for a fifth-generation fighter under development by SAC (producer of J-11). Concept images similar in design to the American F/A-22 Raptor.
Markings
The markings of the PLAAF are a red star in front of a red band, it is slightly similar to the insignia of the United States Air Force. The Red star contains the Chinese characters for "August 1" which refers to the date of the formation of the PLA in 1927. PLAAF aircraft carry these markings on the fins as well.