People’s Liberation Army Air Force
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (中国人民解放军空军), founded in Beijing on 11 November 1949 with captured American and British aircraft and Soviet help, fought the United States over Korea with MiG-15s, spent three decades as a huge, obsolete home-defence force, and since the Su-27 purchase of 1992 has turned itself into the largest air force in Asia, flying the J-20 and J-35A stealth fighters in numbers only the United States exceeds — while publishing almost nothing about itself.
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force story: captured Mustangs, MiG-15s over Korea and the J-20
1949–1953: captured Mustangs, Soviet schools and the MiG war over Korea
The Chinese Communist Party had no air force when it won the civil war. By 1949 its aviation section had 560 trained people, 125 of them pilots, and the first flying unit was formed at Nanyuan, Beijing’s oldest airfield, in the summer of 1949 with captured Nationalist aircraft — American P-51 Mustangs, PT-19s and British Mosquitos. That unit flew over the founding ceremony on 1 October. Liu Yalou, a Frunze Academy graduate, was named commander on 25 October, and the air force command was set up on 11 November 1949, the date the PLAAF still celebrates. Soviet help, agreed in August 1949, supplied aircraft, advisers and schools. It was needed at once: from 1950 Chinese MiG-15 divisions rotated into the Korean War alongside the Soviet 64th Fighter Aviation Corps. Chinese figures, as quoted by the historian Zhang Xiaoming, claim 330 UN aircraft for the loss of 231 aircraft and 116 airmen; American analyses give the Sabre the better of the exchange.
1954–1969: the Taiwan Strait, the missile and the U-2
By early 1954 the PLAAF had some 3,000 aircraft in 28 divisions, and in 1955 it was counted as the world’s third-largest air force. Its enemy was the Republic of China Air Force across the Taiwan Strait. PLA aircraft supported the landing on Yijiangshan in January 1955, which the PLA regards as its first joint operation. In the 1958 crisis ROC Sabres, carrying the first AIM-9 Sidewinders, claimed heavy MiG losses; Beijing never accepted the ROC figures. Where the PLAAF did win was on the ground: its S-75 missile units shot down an ROC RB-57D near Beijing on 7 October 1959, the first aircraft ever downed by a surface-to-air missile, and between 1962 and 1967 five U-2s of Taiwan’s Black Cat Squadron. The Sino-Soviet split of 1960 then took away Soviet engineers, and the industry was left to copy the MiG-17, MiG-19 and MiG-21 on its own.
1965–1979: Lin Biao, the Cultural Revolution and a war the air force sat out
The next years were the PLAAF’s worst. The air force was built into Mao’s nuclear programme — an H-6A dropped China’s first air-delivered atomic bomb over Lop Nur on 14 May 1965 — but the Cultural Revolution closed its technical and maintenance schools and wrecked training. Its commander from 1965, Wu Faxian, was a close ally of Lin Biao, and Lin’s son worked in air force headquarters. On 13 September 1971 a Trident flown by the deputy commander of the 34th Division crashed in Mongolia with Lin Biao, his wife and son aboard; Beijing says Lin was fleeing a failed coup, and many historians doubt parts of that account. Over a thousand officers were purged and Wu was later jailed. In the 1962 war with India neither side used air power, and in the 1979 attack on Vietnam Deng Xiaoping kept the air force almost entirely out of the fighting.
1990–2012: the Su-27 and the long climb out of obsolescence
RAND’s verdict in 1995 was blunt: the PLAAF "does not constitute a credible offensive threat" to the United States or its allies. It still had about 4,500 combat aircraft designed in the 1950s and 1960s. The change began with the Western arms embargo after 1989, which pushed China to Moscow: China became the Su-27’s first export customer, with deliveries from 1992, a 1996 licence to build it as the J-11, Su-30MKKs from 2000 and, much later, 24 Su-35s. Shenyang then built its own J-11B, which Russia regarded as a breach of the licence. Chengdu’s J-10 flew in 1998 and entered service in the mid-2000s. The Hainan collision of 2001, often blamed on the air force, was in fact a PLA Navy aviation J-8II and a US Navy EP-3E; it nonetheless showed how aggressive Chinese interceptions had become.
2011–2026: J-20, bases and brigades, Taiwan
The J-20 flew on 11 January 2011 and entered service in 2017, making China the second country, and the first in Asia, to field an operational stealth fighter. The Y-20 airlifter followed in 2016, the H-6K bomber in 2009, and the KJ-500 and YY-20A tanker after that. From 2011 the old division-and-regiment structure was replaced by bases and brigades, and in the 2015–2016 reforms the air force was split among five theatre command air forces. Old types went: the Q-5 in 2017, and the J-7 and J-8 fighters were to be gone by 2023. Taiwan is the focus. The Eastern Theater Command’s large exercises — Joint Sword-2024A and 2024B, Strait Thunder-2025A and Justice Mission-2025 — each involved dozens of aircraft a day by Taiwan’s count, and in December 2025 Taiwan’s ministry recorded 130 aircraft in 24 hours.
What is known, and what is not
China publishes no order of battle. Every number on this page is someone else’s estimate: the IISS credits the PLAAF with about 2,400 combat aircraft and some 403,000 people, including more than 330 J-20s; others give 250–300 J-20s, or 120 rather than 219 H-6s. What is public is the direction. The 3 September 2025 parade put five stealth fighter types over Tian’anmen, and state media called three of them "on active duty"; unmanned wingmen flew past as a class of their own; and two large tailless designs were photographed near Chengdu on 26 December 2024 without any official word. The weaknesses RAND listed in 2015 — joint operations, training, corruption — have not been shown to be solved: the air force has not fought since 1979, and its leadership itself changed in December 2025 with little explanation.
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force in numbers
Услуга
- Название на родном языке
- 中国人民解放军空军Zhōngguó Rénmín Jiěfàngjūn Kōngjūn, usually shortened to 空军 (the air force). English Wikipedia titles the service People’s Liberation Army Air Force; Xinhua writes "PLA Air Force"
- Основан
- 11 November 1949The date the air force command was set up in Beijing. The CMC Aviation Bureau dates from 17 March 1949, and the first flying unit was formed at Nanyuan in the summer of 1949
- Часть
- People’s Liberation ArmyOne of the PLA’s services under the Central Military Commission; aviation of the PLA Navy is a separate branch
- Штаб-квартира
- BeijingFive theatre command air forces sit under it: Eastern (Nanjing), Southern (Guangzhou), Western (Chengdu), Northern (Shenyang), Central (Beijing)
- Командир
- General Wang Gang (reported)Took charge in December 2025, succeeding Chang Dingqiu, according to Wikipedia; no official appointment notice found
- First commander
- Liu Yalou, 1949–1965Appointed 25 October 1949; died in office 7 May 1965
Сила
- Персонал
- About 403,000 (2025)IISS estimate, as quoted by Wikipedia. China publishes no service figure
- Боевой самолет
- About 2,400–2,5702,410 in the IISS type table reproduced on Wikipedia (Military Balance 2025); the Wikipedia article text gives "around 2,566" of some 4,000 aircraft. Neither figure is official
- Stealth fighters
-
- J-20/J-20A/J-20S — 330+ (IISS)
- J-35A — 54+ (IISS, as listed)
IISS figures as reproduced on Wikipedia. Other estimates for the J-20: 250–300 in mid-2025
- Fourth-generation fighters
-
- J-10 family — 608
- J-16/J-16D — 450
- J-11/J-11B/BS — 445
- Su-30MKK/MK2 — 97
- Su-35S — 24
- Su-27UBK — 32
IISS 2025/2026 via Wikipedia. Su-27UBK and JH-7A are being phased out
- Bombers
- H-6 — about 120–219219 in the IISS table; the Wikipedia H-6 article gives about 120 in April 2025. The difference is not explained in either source
- Tankers and airlift
-
- Y-20 — 55; YY-20A — 30; YY-20B — 10 (Military Balance 2026)
- Il-76 — 20; Il-78 — 3; H-6U — 15
IISS figures via Wikipedia
- Система раннего предупреждения с воздуха
-
- KJ-500 — 40
- KJ-200 — 11
- KJ-2000 — 4
IISS 2025 via Wikipedia
Инфраструктура
- Авиабазы
- Over 150Wikipedia’s figure across the five theatre commands; no official list exists
- Theatre command air forces
- 5Created in the 2015–2016 PLA reforms
- Airborne Corps
- Under PLAAF headquartersFounded 1950; renamed the Airborne Corps in 2017; six airborne brigades plus air assault, special forces, transport and helicopter units
- Наземная противовоздушная оборона
- HQ-9, HQ-22, S-300, S-400Surface-to-air missile units belong to the air force. Wikipedia gives 32 S-400 launchers and 216 S-300 variants; the missile arm has shot down aircraft since 1959
- Команда дисплея
- August 1stFormed 1962, J-10C since 2023, based at Yangcun near Tianjin
- Организация
- Bases and brigadesBrigades subordinate to bases from 2011, accelerated in 2016; bombers, transports and special mission aircraft kept divisions and regiments
How the People’s Liberation Army Air Force is organised
One air force headquarters in Beijing over five theatre command air forces — Eastern, Southern, Western, Northern and Central — created in the PLA reforms of 2015–2016, with the Airborne Corps and the surface-to-air missile units alongside. Since 2011 brigades under bases have replaced most of the old divisions and regiments; bombers, transports and special mission aircraft kept divisions and regiments. China publishes no order of battle, and no current unit is placed at a base here unless the US Department of Defense or CASI has published the assignment.
PLA Air Force headquarters
Set up in Beijing on 11 November 1949; the air force is one of the services of the People’s Liberation Army under the Central Military Commission, and aviation of the PLA Navy is a separate branch. English Wikipedia names General Wang Gang as commander, reported in charge since December 2025 in succession to General Chang Dingqiu; no official appointment notice was found.
Eastern Theatre Command Air Force
One of five theatre command air forces created in the PLA reforms of 2015–2016. The Eastern Theatre Command runs the large exercises around Taiwan, which the People’s Republic of China claims and the Republic of China government administers: Joint Sword-2024A and 2024B, Strait Thunder-2025A and Justice Mission-2025. Jianqiao and Wuhu lie in its area.
Southern Theatre Command Air Force
Its area includes Shek Kong in Hong Kong, whose PLA Hong Kong Garrison helicopters English Wikipedia places under the Southern Theatre Command, and Woody Island in the Paracel Islands, administered by the PRC as part of Sansha, Hainan, and also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; PLA fighter and bomber deployments there since 2016 are reported, not announced.
Western Theatre Command Air Force
The high-altitude bases of Tibet and Xinjiang: Lhasa Gonggar, Shigatse, Ngari Gunsa, Hotan and Kashgar. English Wikipedia, citing the South China Morning Post, says J-11 and J-16 fighters were stationed at Ngari Gunsa after the 2017 Doklam standoff with India; no official count is published.
Northern Theatre Command Air Force
Anshan, and Dandong Langtou on the Yalu, the Korean War MiG-15 base known then as Antung, where by March 1951 the PLAAF had at least 75 MiG-15s according to US Air Force histories cited by English Wikipedia.
Central Theatre Command Air Force
Around the capital: Shanhaiguan, and Yangcun near Tianjin, home of the August 1st aerobatic team, formed in 1962 and flying the J-10C since 2023. Nanyuan, where the first PLA flying unit formed in 1949, closed on 30 September 2019.
Airborne Corps
Under air force headquarters: founded in 1950 and renamed the Airborne Corps in 2017, with six airborne brigades plus air assault, special forces, transport and helicopter units.
Surface-to-air missile units
The air force’s own missile arm, with HQ-9, HQ-22, S-300 and S-400 systems. Its S-75s shot down an ROC RB-57D near Beijing on 7 October 1959, the first aircraft ever downed by a surface-to-air missile, and five U-2s of Taiwan’s Black Cat Squadron between 1962 and 1967.
What the People’s Liberation Army Air Force flies today
Все виды, находящиеся под прицелом, имеют ссылку на соответствующую страницу в Книге Зверей, если таковая имеется. В статистике учитываются самолеты, находящиеся в резерве, а не самолеты, доступные в конкретный день.
| Тип | Роль | В эксплуатации | С | Единицы | Примечания | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon (J-20, J-20A, J-20S)В эксплуатации | Истребитель-невидимка для завоевания превосходства в воздухе | 330 | 2017 | IISS: 330+ (as reproduced on Wikipedia). Other estimates: about 195 operational in June 2024 (Janes), 250–300 in mid-2025. China has never published a figure. | ||
| Shenyang J-35AВ эксплуатации | Многоцелевой истребитель-невидимка | 54 | 2025 | "54+" in the IISS table as reproduced on Wikipedia; the aircraft was only unveiled in November 2024, so treat the figure as a rough estimate. | ||
| Shenyang J-16 and J-16DВ эксплуатации | Strike fighter; electronic warfare (J-16D) | 450 | 2015 | The Military Balance 2026: 430 J-16 and 20 J-16D; other estimates 450–500 built by September 2025. | ||
| Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragon (J-10A/S/B/C)В эксплуатации | Многоцелевой истребитель | 608 | 2004 | IISS: 608 (via Wikipedia). A 2023 breakdown: 236 J-10A, 55 J-10B, 220 J-10C, 77 J-10S. | ||
| Shenyang J-11, J-11B and J-11BSВ эксплуатации | истребитель завоевания превосходства в воздухе | 445 | 1998 | IISS: 445 (via Wikipedia). A 2018 estimate: about 100 J-11A, 180 J-11B, 90 J-11BS. | ||
| Sukhoi Su-27SK and Su-27UBKВ эксплуатации | истребитель завоевания превосходства в воздухе | 32 | 1992 | IISS: 32 Su-27UBK left (via Wikipedia). 36 Su-27SK and 42 Su-27UBK were delivered in three batches. | ||
| Sukhoi Su-30MKK and Su-30MK2В эксплуатации | Многоцелевой истребитель | 97 | 2000 | IISS: 97 Su-30MKK/MK2 (via Wikipedia). | ||
| Sukhoi Su-35В эксплуатации | истребитель завоевания превосходства в воздухе | 24 | 2018 | 24 bought, all delivered 2016–2018. | ||
| Shenyang J-8 and J-8II (J-8F/H, JZ-8F)В эксплуатации | Interceptor; reconnaissance | 40 | 1980 | IISS 2025 lists 40 J-8F/H "phasing out", plus 48 JZ-8/JZ-8F reconnaissance aircraft. Wikipedia says the PLAAF planned to retire all J-8s in 2023: the two sources disagree. | ||
| Xian H-6 (H-6K, H-6N, H-6U)В эксплуатации | Bomber; tanker (H-6U) | 219 | 1968 | Range 120–219: IISS lists 219 bombers plus 15 H-6U tankers; the Wikipedia H-6 article gives about 120 in April 2025 (231 in November 2020). | ||
| Xian JH-7AВ эксплуатации | Истребитель-бомбардировщик | 200 | 2004 | Range 110–200: IISS lists 200 in the PLAAF ("older airframes slowly being phased out"); the Wikipedia JH-7 article gives 110–120 across the air force and navy in 2025. | ||
| Xian Y-20 Kunpeng and YY-20A/YY-20BВ эксплуатации | Strategic airlifter; tanker | 95 | 2016 | The Military Balance 2026: 55 Y-20, 30 YY-20A tankers, 10 YY-20B. | ||
| Shaanxi KJ-500 and KJ-500AВ эксплуатации | Система раннего предупреждения и управления с воздуха | 40 | 2015 | IISS 2025: 40 in the PLAAF (via Wikipedia). | ||
| KJ-2000 and KJ-200В эксплуатации | Система раннего предупреждения и управления с воздуха | 15 | IISS 2025: 4 KJ-2000 and 11 KJ-200 (via Wikipedia). | |||
| Ilyushin Il-76 and Il-78В эксплуатации | Strategic airlift; tanker | 23 | IISS 2025: 20 Il-76 and 3 Il-78 (via Wikipedia). | |||
| Shaanxi Y-8 and Y-9 (transport and special mission)В эксплуатации | Tactical transport; electronic warfare; intelligence | 87 | IISS 2025 via Wikipedia: 30 Y-8C and 30 Y-9 transports; 22 Y-8 and 5 Y-9 special-mission aircraft. | |||
| Xian Y-7, Shijiazhuang Y-5 and Tupolev Tu-154MВ эксплуатации | Light transport; VIP; electronic intelligence | 119 | IISS 2025 via Wikipedia: 41 Y-7H, 70 Y-5, 8 Tu-154M. | |||
| Hongdu JL-10 (L-15)В эксплуатации | Усовершенствованный реактивный учебно-тренировочный самолет | 50 | IISS 2025: 50+ (via Wikipedia). | |||
| Hongdu JL-8 (K-8 Karakorum)В эксплуатации | Basic and intermediate jet trainer | 350 | IISS 2025: 350 (via Wikipedia). | |||
| Guizhou JL-9 and Chengdu JJ-7В эксплуатации | Jet and conversion trainers | 245 | IISS 2025 via Wikipedia: 45 JL-9 and 200 JJ-7/JJ-7A. The JJ-7 figure sits uneasily with reports that the J-7 was retired in 2023. | |||
| Nanchang CJ-6В эксплуатации | Основной тренер | 400 | IISS 2025: 400+ (via Wikipedia). | |||
| Hongdu GJ-11 Sharp SwordВ эксплуатации | Stealth unmanned combat aircraft | No published count. | ||||
| Harbin Z-8, Z-20 and other Airborne Corps helicoptersВ эксплуатации | Транспортные вертолеты | No reliable per-service count reached. |
По заказу
| Тип | Заказано | Первая поставка | Примечания | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xian H-20По заказу | Stealth long-range bomber acknowledged by the PLAAF in 2016; deputy commander Wang Wei said in March 2024 that it would be revealed "very soon".
БолееNot publicly shown by September 2026 as far as the sources reached here show. US assessments quoted by Wikipedia give a range of at least 8,500 km and suggest it may not be operational until the 2030s. |
|||
| Unmanned wingmen and new tailless designsПо заказу | Several unnamed unmanned combat aircraft, including manned-unmanned teaming types, were shown at the 3 September 2025 parade.
БолееTwo large tailless aircraft, called J-36 and J-50 by analysts, were photographed on 26 December 2024; China has given them no official designation. Quantities and service dates unknown. |
Every type the People’s Liberation Army Air Force has retired
9 types, from the North American P-51 Mustang, PT-19 and de Havilland Mosquito (captured) to the Chengdu J-7 (MiG-21 derivative). Максимальные показатели — это количество самолетов, принятых на вооружение за весь срок службы, а не численность парка на какую-либо конкретную дату.
| Тип | Роль | Пик | Подано | Заменено на | Примечания | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chengdu J-7 (MiG-21 derivative) | Боец | 2,400 | 1966–2023 | J-10, J-11, J-16 | About 2,400 built 1965–2013 for all users; PLAAF numbers not published. | |
| Nanchang Q-5 | штурмовики | 1,300 | 1970–2017 | JH-7A | About 1,300 built, for all users. | |
| Ил-28 и Харбин Х-5 | Легкий бомбардировщик | 569 | 1952–2000 | JH-7 | Over 250 Soviet-built Il-28s from 1952 plus over 319 Chinese H-5s (and 187 HJ-5 trainers). | |
| Shenyang J-5 and JJ-5 (MiG-17) | Fighter; trainer | 1,828 | 1957–1992 | J-6, J-7 | 767 J-5 and 1,061 JJ-5 built, for all users. | |
| Tupolev Tu-4 and KJ-1 | Heavy bomber; AEW prototype | 10 | 1953–1988 | H-6 | Ten given by Stalin on 28 February 1953, plus two navigation trainers in 1960. | |
| Shenyang J-6 (MiG-19) | Боец | 4,500 | 1962– | J-7, J-8 | Over 4,500 built 1958–1986 including JJ-6 trainers, for all users. | |
| МиГ-15 Микояна-Гуревича | Боец | 1950– | J-5 | Numbers not confirmed from a reachable source. 224 were lost in Korea, by Chinese count. | ||
| Lavochkin La-11 and Tupolev Tu-2 | Piston fighter; bomber | 1950– | MiG-15, Il-28 | Numbers not confirmed. Three La-11s and four Tu-2s were lost in Korea, by Chinese count. | ||
| North American P-51 Mustang, PT-19 and de Havilland Mosquito (captured) | Fighter; trainer; fighter-bomber | 1949– | МиГ-15 |
Where the People’s Liberation Army Air Force flies from
Черные значки обозначают действующие базы, полые значки — закрытые аэродромы. This is a selection of 14 historically important and publicly reported airfields out of the more than 150 air bases Wikipedia counts, not a complete list; Nanyuan in Beijing, where the first PLA flying unit formed in 1949, closed in 2019. Shek Kong has been the PLA Hong Kong Garrison’s helicopter base since 1 July 1997. Woody Island in the Paracel Islands is administered by the PRC as part of Sansha, Hainan, and also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
| База | ИКАО | Статус | Взлетная полоса | Подразделения и самолеты |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnshanLiaoning Province, Anshan | ZYAS | Активный | 02/202600 мконкретный |
|
| Dandong LangtouAntungLiaoning Province, Dandong | ZYDD | Активный | 01/192600 мконкретный |
|
| Hangzhou JianqiaoZhejiang Province, Hangzhou | Активный | 07/253200 м |
|
|
| HotanXinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Hotan | ZWTN | Активный | 11/293200 мконкретный11/293800 мконкретный | |
| KashgarXinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Kashgar | ZWSH | Активный | 08/263200 мконкретный | |
| Lhasa GonggarTibet Autonomous Region, Shannan (Lhoka) | ZULS | Активный | 10R/28L4000 м10L/28R4000 мконкретный | |
| Ngari GunsaTibet Autonomous Region, Ngari | ZUAL | Активный | 15/334,500 m | |
| ShanhaiguanHebei Province, Qinhuangdao | ZBSH | Активный | 06/242500 м | |
| Shek KongHong Kong Special Administrative Region, New Territories (Yuen Long District) | VHSK | Активный | 11/291,905 mконкретный |
|
| Shigatse PeaceTibet Autonomous Region, Shigatse | ZURK | Активный | 09/275,000 mконкретный07/253000 мконкретный |
|
| Woody Island (Yongxing) airfieldParacel Islands, South China Sea (administered by the PRC as part of Sansha, Hainan; also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam) | Активный | |||
| WuhuAnhui Province, Wuhu | ZSWU | Активный | 08/262400 масфальтированный | |
| YangcunTianjin Municipality | Активный |
|
||
| Beijing NanyuanBeijing Municipality, Fengtai District | ZBNY | Закрыто в 2019 году. | 18/363200 мконкретный |
|
Ни одна авиабаза не соответствует этому поисковому запросу.
Who is stationed where in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force
Flying units by base, current units first, as named in published sources. China publishes no order of battle, so current PLA brigades are not placed at bases; the units listed run from the Nationalist air force at Jianqiao in 1937 to the August 1st aerobatic team at Yangcun. Soviet, British and Nationalist units that flew from the same fields are listed too, each marked as such.
- 4th Pursuit Group, Chinese (Nationalist) Air Force1937–1937
- Curtiss Hawk III
- Central Aviation School (today the Republic of China Air Force Academy)1931–1937
- Training aircraft (types not given in the source)
- PLA Hong Kong Garrison helicopter unitВертолётная эскадрилья · действующая
- Harbin Z-9 (per English Wikipedia)
- No. 28 Squadron RAF1950–1996
- Supermarine Spitfire, de Havilland Vampire, Westland Wessex HC.2
- No. 80 Squadron RAF1950–1950
- Supermarine Spitfire F.24
- No. 660 Squadron, Army Air Corps1978–1994
- Westland Scout AH.1
- August 1st Aerobatic TeamAerobatic display team · active
- Chengdu J-10 (J-10A from May 2009, J-10C from 2023), Chengdu J-7EB and J-7GB, Shenyang JJ-5
- Soviet 64th Fighter Aviation Corps (elements)1950–1953
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15, Lavochkin La-11
- Chinese People’s Volunteer Air Force MiG-15 units1950–1953
- МиГ-15 Микояна-Гуревича
- Unmanned reconnaissance element (reported)UAV detachment · active
- Guizhou WZ-7 Soaring Dragon
Поисковое задание не дало результатов.
People’s Liberation Army Air Force milestones, 1914 to today
17 March: Aviation Bureau of the Central Military Commission set up. Summer: first flying unit formed at Nanyuan with captured aircraft; it flies over the founding ceremony on 1 October. 11 November: air force command established under Liu Yalou.
Korean War: Chinese MiG-15 divisions fight alongside the Soviet 64th Fighter Aviation Corps. Chinese figures claim 330 UN aircraft for 231 lost.
By early 1954 some 3,000 aircraft in 28 divisions (Wikipedia). 23 July: PLA fighters shoot down a Cathay Pacific airliner near Hainan.
18 January: 184 PRC aircraft support the landing on Yijiangshan, the PLA’s first joint operation.
Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. 24 September: ROC Sabres use the first Sidewinder missiles against PLAAF MiGs.
7 October: a PLAAF S-75 missile site shoots down an ROC RB-57D near Beijing, the first aircraft ever destroyed by a surface-to-air missile.
9 September: first of five ROC U-2s shot down over the mainland (the last on 8 September 1967). The August 1st display team is formed. The war with India is fought without air power.
14 May: an H-6A drops China’s first air-delivered atomic bomb at Lop Nur. Liu Yalou dies; Wu Faxian takes command.
13 September: the Trident carrying Lin Biao crashes in Mongolia; Wu Faxian and many air force officers are purged.
17 February – 16 March: war with Vietnam; the air force is kept almost entirely out of the fighting.
First Su-27s delivered from Russia; a licence to build the type as the J-11 follows in 1996.
1 April: a PLA Navy J-8II collides with a US Navy EP-3E off Hainan; the pilot, Wang Wei, is killed.
11 January: first flight of the J-20. Brigades subordinate to bases begin replacing divisions.
6 July: first Y-20 delivered. The PLA reforms create five theatre command air forces.
March: the J-20 enters service. The Q-5 is retired. The Airborne Corps takes its present name.
23–24 May and 14–15 October: Joint Sword-2024A and 2024B around Taiwan. November: the J-35A is shown at Zhuhai. 26 December: two new tailless aircraft photographed.
1–2 April: Strait Thunder-2025A. 3 September: over 100 aircraft fly in the Victory Day parade, including five stealth fighter types. December: Wang Gang reported in charge; 29–30 December: Justice Mission-2025.
Every war the People’s Liberation Army Air Force has fought
Вылеты и поражения там, где это указано в протоколе, и полная пустота там, где этого нет.
- Корейская война 1950–1953 Fought UN air forces with MiG-15s alongside the Soviet 64th Fighter Aviation Corps, mainly between the Yalu and the Chongchon
- The First Taiwan Strait Crisis 1954–1955 Air strikes and air cover for the capture of the Yijiangshan Islands; fighters in the air battles over the coast
- The 1956 bombing in western Sichuan 1956 Two Tu-4 bombers attacked monasteries held by Tibetan rebels
- The Second Taiwan Strait Crisis 1958 Fought the ROC Air Force over the strait during the shelling of Kinmen
- Air defence against overflights 1959–1967 Shot down ROC reconnaissance aircraft flying for Taiwan and the United States with S-75 missiles
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force display teams
Each team has its own page: history, aircraft, the display, the accidents and the sources.
People’s Liberation Army Air Force news from Afterburner
Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and the aircraft it flies. Этот список обновляется автоматически — новые статьи Afterburner появляются здесь автоматически.
Everything people ask about the People’s Liberation Army Air Force
What is the Chinese air force called?
When was the People’s Liberation Army Air Force founded?
How many aircraft does the Chinese air force have?
How many J-20 stealth fighters does China have?
Did the Chinese air force fight in the Korean War?
Did China shoot down U-2 spy planes?
Was the 2001 Hainan Island collision the Chinese air force?
What happened to Lin Biao’s plane in 1971?
What is the J-35A?
How large are the Chinese air exercises around Taiwan?
Read the aircraft the People’s Liberation Army Air Force flew
Каждый тип корабля, имеющий свою страницу в Книге Зверей, сначала поступивший на вооружение, а затем — по году вывода из состава флота.
Все факты проверены.
- Xinhua: China holds massive parade to mark 80th anniversary of WWII victory (3 September 2025)Official: "over 100 aircraft" in the formations; first display of the new system of services and arms after the reforms.
- China Daily (Asia): All types of fifth-generation combat planes displayed at V-Day parade (3 September 2025)J-20, J-20A, J-20S and J-35A of the PLA Air Force and the navy’s J-35 over Tian’anmen; J-20, J-20A and J-35A "on active duty"; J-20S’s "maiden public performance"; Y-20B.
- CSIS ChinaPower: How Is China Responding to the Inauguration of Taiwan’s President William Lai? (24 May 2024)Taiwan MND counts: 49 aircraft on 23 May and 62 on 24 May 2024; against 68 in August 2022 and 91 in April 2023.
- Xinhua: Chinese PLA conducts "Joint Sword-2024B" drills surrounding Taiwan island (14 October 2024)ETC spokesperson Li Xi: army, navy, air force and rocket force; sea-air combat readiness patrol, blockade of key ports and areas, strikes on sea and land targets.
- Xinhua: 东部战区组织陆海空火等兵力位台岛周边开展联合演训 (1 April 2025)ETC spokesperson Senior Colonel Shi Yi: army, navy, air force and rocket force; readiness patrols, seizing comprehensive control, strikes, blockade of key areas; described as a warning to "Taiwan independence" forces.
- Japan Ministry of Defense: Defense of Japan 2025 (Digest)FY2024: 704 ASDF scrambles, 464 against Chinese aircraft; Chinese military aircraft intrusion into Japan’s airspace in August 2024; China–Russia joint bomber flights.
- Japan Ministry of Defense: Defense of Japan 2026 (Digest)FY2025: 595 scrambles, 366 against Chinese aircraft; unusual close approaches in June and July 2025; about 30 minutes of intermittent radar illumination of a JSDF aircraft by a Chinese fighter in December 2025; China–Russia joint bomber flight in December 2025.
- RAND: China’s Air Force Enters the 21st Century (Allen, Krumel, Pollack, 1995)"The PLAAF does not constitute a credible offensive threat against the United States or its Asian allies today"; slow, incremental modernisation expected.
- RAND: China’s Incomplete Military Transformation (Chase et al., 2015)PLA weaknesses: organisation, joint operations, training, human capital and corruption.
- US Department of State, Office of the Historian: Rapprochement with China, 1972Nixon in China 21–28 February 1972; first US president to visit mainland China in office.
- Sina Military: 空军原司令员王海上将逝世 (Former air force commander General Wang Hai dies), 2 August 2020Wang Hai’s group in the 9th Regiment; claimed 9 aircraft shot down or damaged personally, 29 for the group (Chinese claims).
- CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative: Woody IslandOccupied by China since 1955; Chinese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese names; coordinates of the island; satellite imagery December 2012 – June 2022.
Данные проверены 30.09.2026. Страницы с боевым порядком созданы заново на основе одного набора данных; если число здесь не совпадает со страницей из Книги Зверей, значит, эта страница является более новой из двух.
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