China’s Air Force Enters the 21st Century

Kenneth W. Allen, Glenn Krumel, Jonathan D. Pollack

ResearchPublished 1995

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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  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Available
  • Year: 1995
  • Print Format: Paperback
  • Paperback Pages: 275
  • Paperback Price: $15.00
  • Paperback ISBN/EAN: 978-0-8330-1648-5
  • Document Number: MR-580-AF

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RAND Style Manual
Allen, Kenneth W., Glenn Krumel, and Jonathan D. Pollack, China’s Air Force Enters the 21st Century, RAND Corporation, MR-580-AF, 1995. As of September 16, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR580.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Allen, Kenneth W., Glenn Krumel, and Jonathan D. Pollack, China’s Air Force Enters the 21st Century. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1995. https://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR580.html. Also available in print form.
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The research reported here was sponsored by the United States Air Force and conducted by RAND Project AIR FORCE.

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