PLA Air Force event to showcase latest capabilities in warfare

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force will host a five-day open-house activity starting on Thursday in Changchun, Jilin province, to mark the 70th anniversary of its founding.

Colonel Zhang Shouhai, of the Air Force’s staff department, said at a news conference on Sunday at the Air Force’s headquarters in Beijing that the activity will showcase achievements over the past 70 years of building, development and transformation and will highlight its efforts to attain strong combat capabilities and strategic prowess.

The activity will include flight performances of 35 aircraft of 10 types in active service, such as the J-20 stealth fighter jet, the H-6K long-range bomber and the Y-20 strategic transport plane. Some combat aircraft will perform dogfighting maneuvers, and paratroopers will demonstrate their special assault skills.

In addition, there will be themed exhibitions, public tours to Air Force facilities, pilot recruitment promotions and international aviators’ exchange activities during the event.

All of the Air Force’s aerobatic and parachute stunt teams — August 1, Red Eagle, Sky Wing and Blue Eagle — will take part in the event, Zhang said, noting that war heroes, decorated pilots and other distinguished figures in the Air Force will also participate.

Senior Colonel Dong Bida, also from the Air Force staff department, said that the J-20, China’s best and the world’s third operational stealth fighter, will perform six sets of flight maneuvers.

Colonel Huang Minglin from the Air Force’s equipment department said at the news conference that 71 ground weapons and equipment of 46 types will be shown to the public.

This will be the seventh open house hosted by the PLA Air Force since 2011. A total of 1.2 million members of the public visited the previous six events, Zhang said.

In March 1946, the first flight school of the Communist Party of China’s armed forces was set up in Jilin’s Tonghua. It was later moved to Changchun.

Three and a half years later, the PLA Air Force was established on Nov 11, 1949, in Beijing, about one month after the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

In another announcement, Senior Colonel Shen Jinke, spokesman for the PLA Air Force, said at the news conference that electronic warfare capability has assumed great importance, and a new contest has been introduced for electronic operations units.