Li Yongtai

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Li Yongtai
Native name 李永泰
Nickname(s) Tank in the sky
Born (1928-11-04)November 4, 1928
Tonghua, Jilin
Died October 5, 2015(2015-10-05) (aged 86)
Beijing
Allegiance  People's Republic of China
Service/branch  People's Liberation Army Air Force
Years of service October 1945-October 2015
Rank Air marshal
Commands held Commander of the Wuhan Military District Air Force
Battles/wars Korean War
Li Yongtai
Chinese 李永泰
Li Yongtai
Hangul 리영태
Hanja 李永泰
Revised Romanization Ri Yeong-tae
McCune–Reischauer Ri Yŏngt'ae
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Li.

Li Yongtai (4 November 1928 – 5 May 2015) was a Chinese air marshal in the People's Liberation Army Air Force and a politician.[1][2]

Military career[edit]

Born in Tonghua, Jilin Province, China to an ethnic Korean family, Li joined the Eighth Route Army of the People's Liberation Army in October 1945, and became a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) the following year. He began learning to fly in October 1949, and after China's entry into the Korean War, served as a member of the People's Volunteer Army Air Force. He shot down four American F-86s, earning him the nickname "tank in the sky". After the war he continued his rise through the ranks, and in 1975 was named commander of the Wuhan Military District Air Force. He was promoted to air marshal in 1988.[1]

In politics[edit]

Li served as a representative to the 10th and 12th National Congresses of the CPC, and to the 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th National People's Congresses (NPC). In the 8th and the 9th Congresses he was named a member of the NPC Standing Committee, and also served on the NPC Ethnic Affairs Committee.[1]

References[edit]