Shaking the Heavens and Splitting the Earth

Chinese Air Force Employment Concepts in the 21st Century

Roger Cliff, John F. Fei, Jeff Hagen, Elizabeth Hague, Eric Heginbotham, John Stillion

ResearchPublished Feb 17, 2011

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with weapons based on 1950s-era Soviet designs and operated by personnel with questionable training according to outdated employment concepts.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.

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  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Available
  • Year: 2011
  • Print Format: Paperback
  • Paperback Pages: 306
  • Paperback Price: $29.00
  • Paperback ISBN/EAN: 978-0-8330-4932-2
  • Document Number: MG-915-AF

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RAND Style Manual
Cliff, Roger, John F. Fei, Jeff Hagen, Elizabeth Hague, Eric Heginbotham, and John Stillion, Shaking the Heavens and Splitting the Earth: Chinese Air Force Employment Concepts in the 21st Century, RAND Corporation, MG-915-AF, 2011. As of October 6, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG915.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Cliff, Roger, John F. Fei, Jeff Hagen, Elizabeth Hague, Eric Heginbotham, and John Stillion, Shaking the Heavens and Splitting the Earth: Chinese Air Force Employment Concepts in the 21st Century. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2011. https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG915.html. Also available in print form.
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The research described in this report was sponsored by the United States Air Force and conducted by RAND Project AIR FORCE.

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