The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has kept the People's Republic of China (PRC) company for six decades. During its 60 years of existence, it has achieved enormous progress, defending the country's territorial security and sovereignty. It has gone through trying times but has always come out with flying colors.

The PLAAF started literally from scratch. The first batch of planes it had were either made by foreign countries or captured from the enemy. When the PLAAF was established in 1949, China was still a predominantly agricultural society with scant industrial base and an almost non-existent aviation industry.

By the time of the Korean War just a few years later, however, the PLAAF had progressed enough to shoot down 330 enemy aircraft. The pace of PLAAF's development is indeed a miracle, says Wang Mingliang, an air force expert.

The reform and opening up have made the PLAAF take a longer step forward. By the turn of the century, it had developed enough to match some of the most advanced air forces in the world.

In the 1991 Gulf War, the air force of the coalition forces, led by the US, played a leading role. The role of the air force was even greater in the Kosovo War in 1999, when NATO's planes bombed Yugoslavia into accepting armistice even before its ground forces had landed. That it is difficult to justify either of the wars is a different matter.

The epochal change in the role and function of air power has prompted the PLAAF to transform itself into an information-based modern military wing armed with cutting-edge technology and equipment. At the core of this transformation is the integration of the IT system, represented by C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance).

It is not an easy task for a country, going through the industrialization process with still a large percentage of its population engaged in agriculture, to build an information-based air force, Wang says. But the Chinese aviation industry and air force have risen up to the challenge.

China has developed and manufactured airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft - KJ-2000 and KJ-200 - which were on display at the PRC's 60th anniversary parade. The deployment of the AEW&C aircraft could considerably enhance the C4ISR capability of the PLAAF by reconnoitering aerial and maritime targets, collecting and disseminating information, and even undertaking the command if necessary.

Apart from AEW&C aircraft, the PLAAF has also been equipped with advanced planes and weaponry developed and made in China. Third-generation (3G) fighters, including J-10 and J-11, which flew over Tian'anmen Square on Oct 1 during the 60th anniversary parade, have been on active duty and markedly upgraded the PLAAF's combat capability. China has thus joined the club of a few countries that can design and make 3G fighter planes.

Older generation planes , such as the J-8s and H-6s, have been modified and modernized with advanced fire-control and avionic devices, extending their lifespan and raising their capabilities. They have been equipped with large amounts of precision-guided munitions, too.

The PLAAF's progress can be seen by comparing its presence at the National Day parades. All the 17 planes paraded in pageantry at the PRC's founding ceremony in 1949 were made abroad. But all the 94 aircraft displayed at the National Day parade in 1984 were made at home. And the 151 planes that were displayed at the PRC's 60th anniversary parade were not only made, but also developed at home.

The development of the PLAAF's equipment shows that the defense aviation industry has evolved from importing and emulating designs to designing and innovating. An independent, comprehensive and advanced aviation industry is already at work, offering a more solid base for the development of the PLAAF.

Aside from the progress in manufacturing equipment, China's defense aviation strategy is also undergoing a change. The PLAAF is transforming itself from a territorial defense air force into one that combines defensive and offensive capabilities. The PLAAF (and PLA Navy) now have the JH-7, a homemade fighter-bomber that can attack marine as well as ground targets.

China now designs and makes jet tankers, too, greatly extending the combat power of its air force and facilitating the defense of its territory, especially maritime territory.

China follows an active defense strategy, for which it needs an advanced air force.

The PLAAF's mission is to deter and prevent foreign invasions and separatist incidents. But its defensive strategy will never allow it to attack, and hence pose a threat to, any country. Instead, its air force will help maintain peace and stability in East Asia and, if possible, the regions beyond.

(China Daily 11/11/2009 page9)