The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) (解放军空军) 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 after the establishment of the People's Republic of China. It was first established with Soviet help and was armed with Soviet aircraft. Within 6 years, the PLAAF began manufacturing its own aircraft, but these were copies of Soviet types. The first to be built was the J-4 which was a copy of the MiG-15.
Soviet involvement also extended to training the Air Force which was involved to some level in the Korean War with Chinese pilots along with Russian ones often engaging American aircraft. This increased cooperation between the two Communist nations also allowed the Chinese to begin buildng their own versions of the MiG-17 and MiG-19: the J-5 and J-6 (respectively).
The 1960s began with hardships for the PLAAF though. This was due to a break in relations with the Soviet Union, and 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 beginning of indigenous Chinese design, but this was not drastic and mostly resulted in the production of the J-8. Between the Vietnam War and the early 1990s, the PLAAF has largely consisted of large numbers what are now-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. Using the doctrine of People's war, Chinese air strategy involved large numbers of short range technologically obsolete fighters. This mix of forces would not stand up well to the Republic of China Air Force which has fewer planes, but much more modern ones like the F-16 and Mirage 2000.
However, since the early 1990s, the PLAAF has begun a program of modernization, motivated in large part by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the possibility of military conflict with the Republic of China on Taiwan, which might also involve the United States. This began with the acquisition of Su-27s in the early 1990s and the continued development of various next-generation aircraft, including the J-10 and the JF-17 with Pakistan. The PLAAF also continues to improve its training and continues to get rid of old aircraft. This has resulted in a reduction of numbers of aircraft in the PLAAF, but an increase in the quality of these aircraft. Although the PLAAF received major support from Western nations in the 1980s when China was seen as a counterweight to the Soviet Union, 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 major arms supplier as Chinese economic growth allowed Russia to sustain its aerospace industry.
In 2003, there were signs that the European Union would lift its arms embargo against the PRC. One item that the PRC is seemingly heavily interested in is the Mirage 2000 fighter, which France has also supplied to Taiwan.
Currently, the PLAAF is developing its own tanker aircraft (which it has lacked) by modifying old Soviet planes such as the Tu-16 Badger (known as the H-6 in the PLAAF), as well as acquiring tankers from Russia. The PLAAF is thus predicted to be modernized by 2010, though by this stage Western air forces will likely be fielding planes like the F-22, Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35. The PLAAF is currently developing the J-XX fighter as a possible next-generation fighter to counter the upcoming generation of Western fighters.
Aircraft
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.
See also
External links
Last updated: 05-06-2005 15:07:49
