Once Flying Twice in the Past, Today Dominating the Skies! A Comprehensive Review of China's Air Force's Hardcore Combat Power

November 11 is the 77th birthday of the People's Air Force

After more than seventy years of construction and development

"Integrated air and space, with both offensive and defensive capabilities"

The People's Air Force is continuously advancing towards its strategic goals

A complete model system with clear divisions of labor and efficient collaboration

Air combat forces

Guarding the vast skies of the motherland

Once flew twice, now dominates the skies

The founding ceremony in 1949

The number of aircraft on display was limited

Only able to fly back and forth to make up for the lack of formation

From poverty and hardship to a comprehensive air and space capability

The People's Air Force has undergone seventy-seven years of deep cultivation and construction

Completing a magnificent transformation from barely defending the air to securing the entire airspace

With a new air and space force

Guarding the tranquility of the vast mountains and rivers

Drawing swords in the skies!

What are the important combat forces of the Chinese Air Force?

Modern air combat is no longer a one-on-one duel, but a system confrontation. Fighter jets, bombers, early warning aircraft, refueling aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, etc. Different types of aircraft perform their respective duties and cooperate closely, jointly building a solid air and space defense line.

A diagram to help you understand

The important combat forces of the Chinese Air Force

Thunderous formations!

The five branches of the Air Force gather for a comprehensive view

The combat capability of a modern strategic air force relies not only on advanced aviation equipment but also on the five core branches performing their respective duties and coordinating with each other, establishing a comprehensive and three-dimensional air and space defense combat system, which is the core support for system-based air combat.

The air and space have me!

Look at the five branches of the Air Force

Thunderous formations guarding the vast skies

↓↓↓

Aviation troops: the main combat force of the Air Force, covering various aerial capabilities such as fighters, bombers, transport, reconnaissance, and electronic countermeasures, undertaking core tasks such as air superiority operations, long-range strikes, strategic delivery, and air support, serving as the core blade for air and space offense and defense.

Surface-to-air missile troops: On-duty for homeland air defense in all weather, accurately intercepting incoming aerial targets, constructing a three-dimensional air defense firepower network that connects long, medium, and short ranges, as well as high and low altitudes.

Radar troops: the core of air force early warning perception, relying on a comprehensive radar network, continuously monitoring airspace situations 24/7, capturing aerial targets, and providing pre-warning and intelligence support for air defense interception and fighter operations.

Airborne troops: Capable of vertical delivery, long-range mobility, and rapid assault, can respond across all domains and deploy quickly, undertaking emergency operations, airborne assaults, and rescue missions, serving as the agile elite force for the Air Force's rapid victory.

Electronic countermeasure troops: Deeply engaged in the invisible electromagnetic battlefield, disrupting, suppressing, and countering enemy electromagnetic devices, paralyzing the opponent's command, early warning, and air defense systems, seizing electromagnetic advantages on the unseen battlefield, ensuring victory in overall operations.

How is a mature and complete air and space combat system constructed?

Expert interpretation

After seventy-seven years of hard work, the People's Air Force has gradually built a mature and complete air and space combat system. Why does the modern air force focus on system combat capabilities rather than individual platforms or single module performance? In the new era, what changes have occurred in the combat capabilities of the People's Air Force's combat system? Expert interpretation:

Military commentator Zhang Xuefeng stated that modern air force operations must consider the performance of individual modules and platforms; if a single platform performs poorly, it will create a "shortboard effect." Modern warfare tasks are becoming increasingly complex, and threats are becoming more diverse. Various platforms influence and restrict each other, making it difficult to complete tasks through a single platform or module; it is essential to rely on system empowerment.

The construction of the People's Air Force's combat system in the new era has formed a comprehensive systematic capability for strategic early warning, air superiority operations, strategic strikes, air defense and missile defense, intelligence reconnaissance, information offense and defense, and long-range delivery.

Early warning aircraft serve as the "air command center" for organizing aerial battles. The People's Air Force's early warning aircraft have achieved rapid updates and iterations, with mission systems fully integrated into active phased array technology, and their comprehensive performance is at the world-leading level.

Fighter jets are the core of air superiority operations and are a key focus of development for the People's Air Force. The J-20 series and J-35A fighter jets have been successively inducted into service, with increasing scale, effectively mastering battlefield air superiority.

New types of combat forces such as drones are continuously developing, with the Wing Loong-11 becoming the world's first high-stealth reconnaissance-strike drone to be inducted into service. The WZ-7, WZ-8, and WZ-10 drones can carry radar, optical, and electronic reconnaissance payloads, forming a complete reconnaissance-strike drone combat system.

Advanced data link systems have become the "central nervous system" of weapon platforms, enabling close cooperation between air-to-air combat platforms and air-to-ground combat platforms, amplifying and multiplying the combat capabilities of air combat platforms.

77 years, fearlessly guarding, soaring towards dreams

77 years, a sword in the clouds, winning in air and space

Happy birthday to the People's Air Force

Salute to the guardians of the blue sky!