About the Chinese Air Force

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (Air Force of the CPLA) was formally established on November 11, 1949. After half a century of construction, the People's Air Force has developed into an aviation force, surface-to-air missile force, It is a modern high-tech military service composed of multiple arms such as anti-aircraft artillery, radar troops, airborne troops, electronic countermeasures, and meteorology. It is composed of fighters, attack aircraft, bombers, transport aircraft, and other types of aircraft. Its main tasks are to undertake homeland air defense, support land and naval operations, conduct air strikes behind enemy lines, and conduct air transportation and aerial reconnaissance.

Aviation is the main component and combat force of the Air Force, including fighter aviation, assault aviation, bombing aviation, reconnaissance aviation, transport aviation, etc. Fighter aviation is an arm that destroys enemy air planes and flying air attack weapons; assault aviation is an arm that attacks enemy ground troops or other targets; bombing aviation is an offensive arm that bombs ground and water targets; reconnaissance aviation is an arm that uses reconnaissance aircraft It is an arm with basic equipment and obtains intelligence from the air; the transport aviation arm is an arm equipped with military transport aircraft and helicopters to carry out air transportation tasks. The surface-to-air missile force is a unit equipped with surface-to-air missiles and performs air defense tasks. It usually operates together with the fighter aviation force and anti-aircraft artillery force. Anti-aircraft artillery is mainly used for air defense operations, annihilating enemy air targets, and assisting fighter aviation in gaining air supremacy. Airborne troops are a branch of arms that intervene in ground operations by airborne or parachute descent. They are composed of infantry, armored troops, artillery, engineers, communications troops and other professional units (detachments). Their main task is to seize important targets or areas within the depth of the enemy.

The leadership organ of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force consists of a headquarters, a political department, a logistics department, and an equipment department. Its basic organizational levels are: military region air force, air force force (base), division (brigade), regiment (station), brigade (battalion), squadron (company). The air force of a military region has jurisdiction over one to several air force corps (bases) or aviation divisions, one to several mixed air defense divisions, surface-to-air missile divisions (brigades, regiments), radar brigades (regiments) or anti-aircraft artillery brigades (regiments) according to their tasks. The Air Force (base) has jurisdiction over several aviation divisions and necessary combat support and service support units. Weapons and equipment of the fighter aviation The fighter aviation is equipped with various types of domestically produced fighters and imported third-generation fighters. In addition to aerial guns, airborne weapons can also carry aviation rockets, aviation bombs and medium- and short-range air-to-air missiles, which can be used to destroy enemy aircraft in medium-range interception and close-range combat. Weapons and equipment of the bombing aviation force The bombing aviation force is equipped with bombers, which have a large combat radius and a large bomb load. They can carry various conventional bombs (aerial explosive bombs, aerial killing bombs, aerial killing explosive bombs, aerial penetrating bombs, and aerial incendiary bombs). , aircraft carriers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force

mother bombs, aerotank bombs, etc.), guided bombs, and can also carry nuclear bombs, as well as auxiliary bombs such as illumination bombs, smoke screen bombs, and photographic bombs. Weapons and equipment of the Assault Aviation The Assault Aviation is equipped with attack aircraft. Airborne weapons include aircraft cannons, aviation rockets, aviation bombs, etc. Weapons and equipment of the reconnaissance aviation The reconnaissance aviation is equipped with various types of reconnaissance aircraft. Airborne equipment includes aerial cameras, side-looking radar, television and infrared reconnaissance equipment. Weapons and equipment of transport aviation. Transport aviation is equipped with transport aircraft and helicopters. In addition, the aviation force also has various professional aircraft such as electronic warfare and aerial refueling. Weapons and equipment of the surface-to-air missile corps and anti-aircraft artillery. The surface-to-air missile corps is equipped with various types of surface-to-air missiles. Among them, the third-generation surface-to-air missile introduced by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force

is an all-weather, The large-airspace, multi-channel, self-propelled air defense missile system can be used to fight against large-scale enemy air attacks and to fight against cluster targets and cruise missiles at different heights under strong electronic interference conditions. The anti-aircraft artillery force is equipped with 57 mm and 100 mm anti-aircraft guns. These anti-aircraft artillery systems are equipped with blasthole radars, have fully automatic, all-weather combat capabilities, fast fire rates, and can fire continuously.

The Communist Party of China has long attached importance to the development of aviation. Under extremely difficult conditions during the revolutionary war years, a number of aviation technical talents were trained and reserved. During the Great Revolution, Communist Party members were selected to study at the National Revolutionary Army Aviation School.

During the Agrarian Revolutionary War, some Communist Party members and Communist Youth League members were selected to study aviation technology in the Soviet Union. During the Anti-Japanese War, a group of Communist Party members were selected to study at the Kuomintang Aviation School and the Xinjiang Border Supervision and Administration Aviation Team; a school was opened in Yan'an to train aviation mechanical engineering talents. During the War of Liberation, the People's Army's first aviation school was established in Northeast China to train aviation technical talents and prepare for the establishment of the People's Air Force. From 1949 to 1953, according to the decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Air Force was built on the basis of the Army. Gradually establish and improve combat command, education, training and service support systems, carry out air defense missions in important areas, form the Chinese People's Volunteer Air Force to participate in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, support the Army's march into Tibet and conduct operations to encircle and suppress bandits, and become an air force with certain combat effectiveness. Establishment of the Leading Organ On January 8, 1949, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed in the instructions of "The Current Situation and the Party's Tasks in 1949" that in 1949 and 1950, strive to form a capable air force. On March 30, the Aviation Bureau of the Military Commission was established in Peiping (today's Beijing), with Chang Qiankun as director and Wang Bi as political commissar. Unify the leadership of the country's aviation work, organize the takeover of seized aviation equipment, repair airports, receive, educate and transform the aviation technicians of the Kuomintang Air Force, and create conditions for the establishment of the People's Air Force. On July 10, Chairman Mao Zedong of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China wrote to Zhou Enlai, proposing the establishment of the People's Air Force. Zhou Enlai immediately organized the preparations for the establishment of the Air Force. On the 26th, the Central Military Commission decided to merge the 14th Corps of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the Aviation Bureau of the Military Commission to form the leading body of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force. On October 25, Liu Yalou was appointed Air Force Commander, and Xiao Hua was appointed Air Force Political Commissar and Director of the Political Department. On November 11, the Air Force Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army was established in Beijing. The former Aviation Bureau of the Central Military Commission was abolished and its personnel and operations were transferred to the Air Force Command. The leading organization of the Air Force has successively established departments such as the Staff Department (Headquarters), Training Department, Political Department, Engineering Department, Logistics Department, Cadre Department and the Political Department directly under the Air Force. From April 1949 to January 1950, the Aviation Departments of the North China, East China, Central China (later changed to Central and South China), Northwest, Southwest, and Northeast Military Region Headquarters were established and placed under the organizational structure of the respective military regions. Unify the leadership to receive and manage the aviation facilities, materials and personnel left by the Kuomintang Air Force, and handle aviation business. From August 1950 to December 1951, the East China, Northeast, Southwest, Central and South, North China, and Northwest Military Region Air Force Commands were successively established based on the aviation departments of each military region headquarters and some army and division organizations of the Army. In March 1952, the Central Military Commission decided that the Air Force units, schools, and agencies in all strategic regions across the country would be under the dual leadership of the Central Military Commission Air Force leading agency and the leading agencies of the major military regions. The major military regions mainly have operational command relationships, and the Central Military Commission Air Force is mainly responsible for The Central Military Commission and the Air Force are responsible for the organizational leadership relationship, air force construction and management. After the Korean Civil War broke out in June 1950, the "United Nations Army" led by the United States sent troops to intervene. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was in a critical situation and China's security was seriously threatened. Shortly after the ground troops of the Chinese People's Volunteers entered Korea to fight, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to form the Chinese People's Volunteers Air Force to participate in the war to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea. In March 1951, the China-North Korea Air Force Joint Command was established to provide unified leadership and command of the Volunteer Air Force. In November, an Air Force Headquarters was established in Kaiyuan, Liaoxi Province (now Kaiyuan, Liaoning); in August 1952 and March 1953, one air force headquarters was established in Andong, Liaodong Province (now Dandong, Liaoning), Shanghai, and Weifang, Shandong. The Air Force Headquarters strengthens the leadership and command of the Air Force. Establishing a school training system. In July 1949, when planning to establish the People's Air Force, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to use the cadres and students of the old aviation schools in Northeast China as the backbone and ask the Soviet Union to send experts to assist and purchase aircraft and aviation equipment from the Soviet Union as soon as possible. Establish a number of aviation schools. By January 1950, seven new aviation schools had been built to train professional and technical talents in aviation, aviation maintenance, etc. in a rapid way. After 1951, new aviation schools continued to be built, and the joint training of pilots and ground staff at the same school was changed to branch training. By the end of 1953, the Air Force had 13 aviation schools, training 5,945 pilots (including 55 female pilots), more than 24,000 aviation maintenance personnel, and nearly 1,400 other cadres.

From 1950 to 1953, 8 aviation preparatory corps (later renamed aviation preparatory schools) were established to provide centralized preparatory education for students preparing to enter aviation schools. From 1951 to 1953, a maintenance school, a cadre school (renamed the Air Force Political Cadre School in September 1952) and a commander training class were successively established, gradually establishing a multi-type, comprehensive school training system. Establishing the Force: In the early days of the establishment of the Air Force, the Central Military Commission adopted the Air Force’s guidelines for building on the basis of the Army. From 1950 to 1951, 12 division headquarters and 49 regiment headquarters of the Air Force were transferred from the Army to the Air Force to form the Air Force. On June 19, 1950, the first aviation unit of the Air Force was established in Nanjing, called the 4th Mixed Brigade of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force. On July 26, the first airborne force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army was established in Shanghai, called the 1st Air Force Marine Brigade of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and later renamed the 1st Air Force Marine Division and Paratrooper Instructor. On November 2, the air force's brigade was renamed a division. On the 24th, the Air Force's first transport aviation regiment was established in Xinjin, Sichuan. On April 24, 1951, the Air Force's first transport aviation division was established. By the end of 1953, the Air Force had grown to 28 divisions with more than 3,000 aircraft of various types. Establishing a support system In the early days of the establishment of the Air Force, when the national economy was in very difficult circumstances, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to renovate and build a number of new airports to ensure the use of aviation schools and aviation units. Radar, communications, meteorological and other support institutions have also been established one after another. The Air Force’s special funds and supplies are provided by the Air Force, and the military regions are responsible for supplying general funds and supplies for the entire military. After the entire military implemented a new supply support system, starting from September 1, 1952, the Air Force comprehensively organized logistics supply support in accordance with organizational relationships, and basically implemented the Air Force-Military Region Air Force-troop supply system. Air Force rear service branches have been established in Northeast and East China, and each branch is responsible for the logistics supply support of the Air Force units in one region or one combat direction. Assume combat missions: The earliest mission assigned by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to the Air Force was to participate in the liberation of Taiwan. In 1950, after the outbreak of the Korean War, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to form the Chinese People's Volunteer Air Force to participate in the war to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea. From December 1950 to July 1953, the Chinese People's Volunteer Air Force shot down 330 "United Nations" aircraft led by the US military and damaged 95; it shot down 231 and injured 151. More than 300 units and more than 8,000 people have made meritorious service, of which 6 units were awarded first-class collective merit, and 21 people were awarded the titles of heroes and models. From 1952 to 1953, during homeland air defense operations, the Japanese shot down or damaged 8 intruding and harassing aircraft. On September 20, 1952, he shot down a US B-29 bomber that invaded the Shanghai area, achieving the Air Force's first victory in homeland air defense. From April 1950 to November 1952, it supported the army's march into Tibet, opened 25 routes on the Kangzang Plateau, and airdropped 2,326 tons of various supplies. In July 1952, the army cooperated with the army to encircle and annihilate bandits in Heishui, Sichuan and southern Gansu, and carried out aerial reconnaissance, bombing, strafing, leaflet distribution and logistical support.

According to the decision of the National Military System Party’s Senior Cadres Conference held from December 7, 1953 to January 26, 1954, the Air Force comprehensively strengthened its construction. In accordance with the unified deployment of the Central Military Commission, in May 1957, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force and the Air Defense Force merged into the Air Force, implementing an integrated air defense system and conducting streamlined reorganization. With the main weapons and equipment produced by China itself, the army has further developed and its combat effectiveness has been significantly enhanced. It has achieved outstanding results in homeland air defense and cooperating with the army and navy to liberate coastal islands. Merger of the Air Force and the Air Defense Force On February 21, 1957, the Central Military Commission decided to merge the Air Force and the Air Defense Force of the People's Liberation Army into the Air Force. On May 17, the Air Force and Air Defense Force agencies jointly opened their offices. Liu Yalou served as commander and Wu Faxian served as political commissar. The air force and air defense air force agencies of all military regions have joint offices one after another. On July 26, the name of the Air Defense Force service was revoked, and the original Air Defense Force units and schools were placed under the Air Force organization. Strengthening the construction of leadership and command institutions. After the merger of the Air Force and the Air Defense Force, the construction of the Air Force's leadership and command institutions will be further strengthened.

In March 1956, an Air Force headquarters was established in Yangcun, Hebei (today's Jinyangcun), and moved to Jinan in December 1957. In August 1958, the Fuzhou Military Region Air Force Leadership Organization was established to provide unified leadership and command for the Air Force units stationed in Fujian and Jiangxi Provinces. From November 1958 to February 1960, a military-level command structure was established in Jilin, Guangdong, and Fujian. In August 1960 and October 1965, the air force leadership agencies of the Kunming and Chengdu Military Regions were established successively. In accordance with the principle of corresponding with the headquarters organs of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the characteristics of the Air Force's business work, the structure of the Air Force's leading organs has been gradually adjusted. By May 1966, there were 11 departments: Headquarters, Political Department, Logistics Department, Engineering Department, Military Training Department, Military Academy Department, Scientific Research Department, Anti-aircraft Artillery Headquarters, Second Anti-Aircraft Artillery Headquarters, Radar War Department, Direct Political Department department. Expansion of the troops: In September 1956, the troops began to be equipped with combat aircraft produced by China themselves, and continued to purchase some aircraft and other equipment from abroad. The troops gradually developed. In October 1958, the first batch of surface-to-air missile units was established. Beginning in 1959, the Fighter Aviation Division gradually formed units mainly used for night operations. In order to improve mobile combat capabilities, in the second half of 1961, the aviation force was fully base-based. The flying regiment was changed to the flying group. The base belongs to the aviation division, and all personnel and equipment that can be fixed at the base belong to the base organization. The base is responsible for logistics and aviation engineering maintenance support tasks. When the aviation division moves, the personnel and equipment belonging to the base will not move with it. In June 1961, one corps of the Army was transferred to the Air Force and transformed into an airborne force. After the localization of surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft guns, radars and other equipment, the development of the army has been accelerated, the air defense force has been strengthened, and the air warning, command and guidance support capabilities have been further improved. Strengthening education and training From 1954 to 1965, air force academies were adjusted one after another. In 1958, a number of preparatory schools and cultural schools were abolished, and the Air Force Academy, Engineering Academy, Vocational College, Communications, and Health Colleges were successively established. By the end of 1965, the Air Force had 29 colleges and universities and established a relatively complete training system, providing training venues for various command cadres and professional and technical personnel. From 1959 to 1961, the Soviet government unilaterally tore up the agreement to assist China. China's national economy suffered serious difficulties and there was a serious shortage of aviation engines, spare parts and fuel. In order to overcome difficulties, the aviation unit carried out "train hard on the ground and fly masterfully in the air" activities, and adopted methods such as "large concentration, small interspersion" and "parallel training" to maintain the combat effectiveness of the unit, and completed the air force's mission into Fujian and homeland air defense operations. . In 1964, through mass military training and competitions, the technical and tactical level of the troops was significantly improved. Formulating regulations and compiling teaching materials. The regulations and teaching materials used by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force during its founding period were basically copied from those of the Soviet Union. Beginning in January 1959, a large number of personnel were mobilized to comprehensively compile doctrine, regulations, syllabuses, and teaching materials, and carry out the first large-scale theoretical construction work since the establishment of the Air Force. It took 6 years and 6 months to complete 306 books of various doctrines, regulations, syllabuses, teaching materials, and operating codes. It plays an important role in strengthening the formalization of the Air Force, improving work quality and efficiency, and promoting the research and development of military theory. Carry out homeland air defense operations. After the Korean War, U.S. military aircraft often reconnoitred and harassed mainland China and coastal areas. Taiwan authorities' aircraft frequently entered the mainland, making the air defense operations tense. From January 1954 to May 1966, in homeland air defense operations, it shot down 51 U.S. and Taiwanese aircraft and damaged 49. It was the first to use interceptors and anti-aircraft guns equipped with airborne radar to shoot down B-17 and P-2V aircraft at night, use surface-to-air missiles to shoot down RB-57D and U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, and use J-6 aircraft to shoot down American drones. Fly a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft and wait for the battle