The international community's focus is usually set on the current situation of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, its structure, order of battle and the latest types in service. Consequently - and in order to commemorate the service's 70th anniversary on 11 November 2019 - this book re-focuses on its history since the establishment of the Peop

Presents revised and edited papers from a October 2010 conference held in Taipei on the Chinese Air Force. The conference was jointly organized by Taiwan?s Council for Advanced Policy Studies, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the U.S. National Defense University, and the RAND Corporation. This books offers a complete picture of where the Chinese air force is today, where it has come from, and most importantly, where it is headed.

"This volume ... takes a look at the military airpower functions that emerged during World War I, and then examines the development of airpower doctrine in seven nations that developed major military air arms during and after the first World War. They are: France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, the Union of Soviet Socialist States (USSR), and the United States of America ... The text also reviews the use of military airpower in conflicts that took place between the two world wars"--Page xi.

There is no question which country has made the greatest strides in developing its airpower capability. Over the last two decades, China's air force, the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), has transformed itself from a large, poorly-trained force operating aircraft based on 1950s Soviet designs to a leaner and meaner force flying advanced Russian and indigenously produced fourth-generation fighters. This remarkable transformation is still a work in progress, but China has made up a lot of ground in a short time. The ever-accelerating transformation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the years since the era of Mao Zedong, particularly in its economic and military growth, has been nothing short of remarkable. Developments over the last quarter-century-effectively since the tragedy of Tiananmen Square and the collapse of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact alliance-have been more so still. The relationship of this increasingly robust and growing power to the established global community is a complex one, and no thornier aspect of that relationship can be found than the uneasy interplay among the PRC, Taiwan, and the countries that deal with both. In late October 2010, a distinguished international group of experts on airpower, military affairs, and the PRC-Taiwan relationship gathered in Taipei to examine the present state and future prospects of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The conference was the latest in a series of international conferences on the affairs of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) cosponsored by the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies (CAPS), the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), the U.S. National Defense University (NDU), and the RAND Corporation. Over 3 days, speakers presented 14 papers on aspects of airpower, the PLAAF, and the implications for Taiwan, and panels discussed and debated the presentations, taking questions and comments from an audience of 115 registered attendees, with many others dropping by. This book is a compilation of the edited papers, reflecting comments and additions stimulated by the dialogue and discussion at the conference to examine present state and future prospects of the People's Liberation Air Force (PLAAF).

The authors maintain that the constrained strategic thinking in China about the role of airpower and force modernization will affect the ability of The Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force to become a credible offensive threat against the U.S. or its Asian allies.

This is the definitive reference source examining all aspects of one of the most powerful air forces in the world, the Chinese. Although China has been a significant air power for more than fifty years, very little has been published or even known about its capabilities. Along with the recent emergence of China as a world economic and military superpower, China has recently invested huge sums of money in modernizing its air force, developing its own aircraft and technology as well as buying from overseas. This remarkable new book unveils for the very first time, the full details of the organization, capabilities, and aircraft of all Chinese air forces - the third largest in the world today. It details the Chinese air force's order of battle, from the top command down to the operational regiments and squadrons. It also includes descriptions and specifications of the Air Force and the NSavy main fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

Much of the fascination that Chinese military aviation holds for the analyst and enthusiast stems from the thick veil of secrecy that surrounds it. This uniquely compact yet comprehensive directory serves as a magnificently illustrated, in-depth analysis and directory of modern Chinese air power. It is organized in three parts: the most important military aircraft and their weapons found in Chinese service today; aircraft markings and serial number systems; and orders of battle for the People's Liberation Army Air Force and Naval Air Force. The study includes the latest developments emerging from behind the 'Bamboo Curtain', including the J-20 stealth fighter program and other indigenous projects that are equipping a rapidly modernizing air arm. The centerpiece consists of almost 100 fully illustrated pages detailing the organizational structure of the Air Force and Naval Aviation, providing an easy-to-use review of all known flying units, their equipment and their markings. No other book has ever attempted to present this level of accuracy in this way: 'Modern Chinese Air Power' portrays the PLAAF and the PLANAF in a degree of detail that was previously unavailable.

Less than a decade ago, China's air force was an antiquated service equipped almost exclusively with weapons based on 1950s-era Soviet designs and operated by personnel with questionable training according to outdated employment concepts. Today, the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) appears to be on its way to becoming a modern, highly capable air force for the 21st century. This monograph analyzes publications of the Chinese military, previously published Western analyses of China's air force, and information available in published sources about current and future capabilities of the PLAAF. It describes the concepts for employing forces that the PLAAF is likely to implement in the future, analyzes how those concepts might be realized in a conflict over Taiwan, assesses the implications of China implementing these concepts, and provides recommendations about actions that should be taken in response.

The ever-accelerating transformation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the years since the era of Mao Zedong, particularly in its economic and military growth, has been nothing short of remarkable. Developments over the last quarter-century-effectively since the tragedy of Tiananmen Square and the collapse of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact alliance-have been more so still. The relationship of this increasingly robust and growing power to the established global community is a complex one, and no thornier aspect of that relationship can be found than the uneasy interplay among the PRC, Taiwan, and the countries that deal with both. It should come as no surprise that the concept of airpower has changed a great deal since H.G. Wells first used the term in his 1908 science fiction novel, The War in the Air. Given the passage of more than a century, the world has seen dramatic advances in technology as well as changes in the geopolitical conditions in which war is fought. Yet within the ever-evolving fabric of airpower history, one can find remarkable threads of continuity. Early aircraft, though but fragile contraptions of wood and canvas, exploited the same advantages enjoyed by the sophisticated weapons systems that operate in today's 21st-century skies: the ability to cover great distances in any direction quickly, free of obstruction by surface terrain; the ability to overfly enemy armies and navies and attack them from above, across the breadth and depth of the battlespace; and the ability to take war to the heart of an enemy's society, striking vulnerable targets previously unreachable before defeating surface defenses. So there should be little wonder that the concept of airpower, while ever evolving, has also exhibited elements of continuity, as have the doctrines and strategies that conceptual thinking about airpower has inspired. In many ways and for reasons that are clearly evident, today's airmen have inherited the strategic mindset of their forebears. This paper examines that mindset in historical context as it traces the evolution of airpower thought and considers what theoretical, technological, and political trends suggest for strategies that air forces will likely employ in the future. It explains how airpower thought, though buffeted by changes in technology and geopolitics, has been anchored on an evolving body of theory conceived to exploit the unique warfighting advantages afforded by the ability of aircraft to operate in the vertical dimension. Yet within this unifying framework, strategic thinkers have, from the earliest days of military air operations, debated whether airpower is employed most effectively as an independent instrument against targets chosen to create direct, war-winning effects at the strategic level of war, or whether it is better used in combination with surface forces at the operational level of war. I argue that these competing ideas appear to be converging in the current era, but the debate is unlikely to ever be fully resolved. That is a good thing because strategy has always benefited from rigorous examination and spirited intellectual debate. Creative thought and innovation have always been the touchstones of airpower. That heritage will continue into the future.

Because Of Proximity There Will Always Be An Undercurrent Of Competition, Even Veiled Hostility In All Relations Between India And China. While China With Its Increasing Economic Clout Is On The Road To Becoming The Major Player In Asia, Indians Are In Danger Of Being Marginalised, The Present Indo-Us Euphoria Notwithstanding. What Are Indians To Do? What Strategies Do They Adopt? The Book Examines The Present Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Plaaf; Airfield Capacities And Probable Deployment Of Aircraft In Tibet; The Capability Of Such Aircraft In Tibet And Future Plans Of The Plaaf. The Author Also Listed Possible Strategies For India To Counter China.