Editor's Foreword

East Sea Fleet
Coastal defence from south of Lianyungang to Dongshan
(approx 35°10´N to 23°30´N); equates to Nanjing Military
Region, and to seaward; 7 coastal defence districts
FORCES BY ROLE
Navy 1 HQ located at Dongqian Lake (Ninsbo)
FACILITIES
Bases Located at Fujian, Zhousnan, Dongqian Lake
(Ninsbo)
South Sea Fleet
Coastal defence from Dongshan (approx 23°30´N) to
VNM border; equates to Guangzhou MR, and to seaward
(including Paracel and Spratly Islands)
FORCES BY ROLE
Navy 1 comd HQ located at Guangzhou
FACILITIES
Bases Located at Yulin, Guangzhou, Zuanjiang
Air Force 300,000-330,000
The PLA Air Force (PLAAF) is organised into four service
branches: aviation, SAM, AAA and airborne. It also has
comms, radar, ECM, chemical defence, tech recce and other
specialised units. The PLAAF organises and commands air
and AD operations throughout China, as well as airborne
operations. The PLAAF organises its command through
seven military region air forces (MRAF) – Shenyang, Beijing,
Lanzhou, Jinan, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Chengdu – and
13 div-level command posts. Within a MRAF are aviation
divisions, ground-to-air missile divisions (brigades and
regiments), anti-aircraft artillery brigades (regiments),
radar brigades (regiments) and other support troops.
29 air div (incl up to 4 regt, each with 10–15 ac, 1 maint
unit, some tpt and trg ac) are distributed between the
military regions as follows:
Headquarters Air Force
1 air division (34 th , VIP Tpt) with Il-76MD, Tu-154M,
B-747, CRJ200, Y8, Y7, An-30; 100 th ; 101 st ; 102 nd Regt; Air
Force Flight Test Regiment
Northeast – Shenyang MRAF
1 air div (1 st ftr) with (1 ftr regt with J-11/J-11B; 1 FGA
regt with J-10; 1 ftr regt with J-8A); 1 air div (11 th atk)
with (2 FGA regt with Q-5D); 1 air div (21 st ftr) with (1
ftr regt with J-8H; 1 ftr regt with J-7; 1 ftr regt with J-8B);
1 air div (30 th ftr) with (1 ftr regt with J-8A/E; 1 ftr regt
with J-8F; 1 ftr regt with J-7E); 1 indep recce regt with
JZ-8; 3 trg schools with An-30/CJ-6/H-5/HJ-5/JJ-5/K-
8/Y-7; 1 (mixed) AD bde; 1 SAM bde
North – Beijing MRAF
1 air div (7 th ftr) with (1 ftr regt with J-11; 1 ftr regt with
J-7B); 1 air div (15 th ftr/atk) with (1 ftr regt with J-7C; 1
FGA regt with Q-5; 1 ftr regt J-7D); 1 air div (24 th ftr)
with (1 FGA regt with J-10; 1 ftr regt with J-8; 1 ftr regt
with J-8A); 1 Flight Test Centre with Su-30, Su-27/J-11,
J-8C, J-10, J-7E, JJ-7 (on rotation); 1 trg base with J-7B, JJ-
7; 2 trg schools with CJ-6/JJ-5/K-8; 3 SAM div; 1 (mixed)
AD div
East Asia and Australasia
403
West – Lanzhou MRAF
1 air div (6 th ftr) with (1 ftr regt with J-11; 1 ftr regt with
J-7E; 1 ftr regt with J-7); 1 air div (36 th bbr) with (1 surv
regt with Y8H-1; 1 bbr regt with H-6E; 1 bbr regt with
H-6A); 1 air div (37 th ftr) with (1 ftr regt with J-8H; 1 ftr
regt with J-7E; 1 ftr regt with J-7G); 2 trg schools with
CJ-6, JJ-5; PLAAF Msl Testing Regt with JJ-6, J-7B; 1
(mixed) AD div; 1 SAM bde; 4 indep SAM regt
Centre – Jinan MRAF
1 air div (5 th atk) with (1 FGA regt with Q-5E; 1 FGA
regt with JH-7A); 1 air div (12 th ftr) with (2 ftr regt with
J-8B; 1 ftr regt with J-7G); 1 air div (19 th ftr) with (1 ftr
regt with Su-27SK; 1 ftr regt with J-11; 1 ftr regt with
J-7E); 1 indep recce regt with JZ-6; 4 SAM bn
East – Nanjing MRAF
1 air div (3 rd ftr) with (1 FGA regt with J-10; 1 ftr regt
with J-7E; 1 FGA regt with Su-30MKK); 1 air div (10 th
bbr) with (2 bbr regt with H-6E; 1 ECM regt with Y-8D);
1 air div (14 th ftr) with (1 ftr regt with J-11A; 1 ftr regt
with J-7H); 1 air div (26 th Special Mission) with (1 AEW/
AWCAS regt with KJ-2000/KJ-200; 1 CSAR regt with M-
171/Z-8; 1 recce regt with JZ-8F); 1 air div (28 th atk) with
(1 FGA regt with JH-7A; 2 FGA regt with Q-5D); 1 air div
(29 th ftr) with (1 FGA regt with Su-30MKK; 1 ftr regt with
J-7C; 1 ftr regt with J-8B/D); 1 indep recce regt with JZ-6;
1 trg school with K-8, JJ-5, CJ-6; 3 SAM bde; 1 ADA bde;
2 indep SAM regts
South – Guangzhou MRAF
1 air div (2 nd ftr) with (1 ftr regt with J-7B; 1 FGA regt
with J-10; 1 ftr regt with Su-27SK); 1 air div (8 th bbr/tkr)
with (1 bbr regt with H-6E; 1 tkr regt with H-6U); 1 air
div (9 th ftr) with (1 ftr regt with J-8B; 1 ftr regt with J-8D;
1 ftr regt with J-7B); 1 air div (13th airlift) with (2 tpt regt
with IL-76MD; 1 tpt regt with Y-7/Y-8); 1 air div (18 th ftr)
with (1 ftr regt with J-7B; 1 FGA regt with Su-30MKK); 1
air div (42nd ftr) with (1 ftr regt with J-7B; 1 ftr regt with
J-7H); 1 indep recce regt with JZ-6; 4 SAM Bde, 1 ADA
bde, 1 indep ADA regt
Southwest – Chengdu MRAF
1 air div (4 th airlift) with Y-7/Mi-17; 1 air div (33 rd ftr)
with (1 ftr regt with J-7E; 1 ftr regt with J-7B; 1 ftr regt
with J-11); 1 air div (44 th ftr) with (2 ftr regt with J-7B; 1
FGA regt with J-10); 1 trg school with H-5, HJ-5, CJ-6; 1
(mixed) AD bde; 3 indep SAM regt
Flying hours Ftr, ground a�ack and bbr pilots average
100-150 hrs/yr. Tpt pilots average 200+ per
year. Each regt has two quotas to meet
during the year – a total number of hours,
and the percentage of flight time dedicated
to tactics trg.
FORCES BY ROLE
Bbr 4 regt with H-6E/H-6F/H-6H (of which some
with YJ-63 cruise missile); 1 (nuclear ready) regt
with H-6 (Tu-16) Badger
East Asia and
Australasia