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China’s Air Force Enters the 21st Century
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) does not constitute a credible offensive threat against the United States or its Asian allies today, and this situation will not change dramatically over the coming decade. If anything, its overall capabilities relative to most of its potential rivals will diminish over the next ten years. These circumstances are a product of constrained strategic thinking in China about the role of airpower, the lack of funds needed for a comprehensive modernization program, logistics and maintenance problems, the limited training available to its pilots, and the absence of a capability to develop and manufacture advanced airpower weapon systems. Although some modern aircraft will be introduced into the PLAAF inventory during the next ten years, the rate and scale of these acquisitions will remain incremental and demonstrably insufficient to redefine the regional airpower balance.
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ISBN/EAN: 0-8330-1648-2
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Contents
Chapter One:
Introduction
Chapter Two:
The People's Liberation Army: Institutional Development and Defense Strategy
Chapter Three:
The PLAAF's Formative Years: 1924-1960
Chapter Four:
"Living in Interesting Times": The PLAAF in the 1960s
Chapter Five:
The Reform Process Begins
Chapter Six:
The PLAAF's Search for Airpower Strategy: Toward the 21st Century
Chapter Seven:
PLAAF Education and Training
Chapter Eight:
PLAAF Force Structure Trends
Chapter Nine:
Conclusions and Implications
Appendix A:
The Structure of the PLA, PLAAF, and Naval Aviation
Appendix B:
The PLAAF Budget
Appendix C:
The Political Commissar System
Appendix D:
The PLAAF Rank System
Appendix E:
Aircraft Procurement Programs
Appendix F:
Fighter Aircraft Projection
Appendix G:
Indigenous SAM Systems
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