China Aerospace Studies Institute

Air University (AU)

The True Meaning of the Chinese Air Force’s Flying Transport Aircraft Near Malaysia: Airborne Units in Power Projection

This is a translation of a paper that was published by the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force’s (JASDF) Center for Air and Space Power Strategic Studies (CASPSS) and that was also published in a JASDF journal in July 2021. I have had the pleasure of routinely exchanging opinions and research material

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PLA Air Force Bomber Force Organization

This report provides an overview of the organization of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force (PLAAF) Bomber force.According to the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s

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Competition with China: The PLA Air Force

Part of CASI's "Competition With China" video series which helps Airmen better understand the strategic competition with China broadly, and takes a deep look at many of the military and security aspects of that competition. CASI uses source documents to research and report on China’s aerospace

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Third Combat Brigade of PLA Air Force Likely Receives Stealth Fighters

On 9 December the Dutch Aviation Society’s website Scramble reported that a J-20 bearing the serial number 61162 had been spotted the day before. The J-20 is the first and only fifth-generation fighter that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force operates. Judging from this serial

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Commentary on ADIZ issues and the PRC

Dr. Mulvaney discusses increased flight activity by the PLA in the Taiwan ADIZ and in the South China Sea at the Habibie Center's Talking ASEAN Webinar on "Air Force Intrusions in the Indo-Pacific Airspace: Impacts on Regional Peace and Stability from ASEAN Perspective"A big thank you to Ken Allen

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Females in the PLA Air Force

This report discusses the past and present role of females in the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force (PLAAF) to include officers, enlisted personnel, civilian cadre, and civilian personnel. Historically, females in the PLAAF served in two primary roles:

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China’s Global Intent and Tactics: Adversary Insights

We were very excited for another visit on the AFA's Aerospace Advantage podcast. We need all the people we can get looking at the complex but vitally important issues.In Episode 49 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast China’s Global Intent and Tactics: Adversary Insights, host John “Slick” Baum is

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PLA Air Force Shifts Transition Training to the Schoolhouse

On October 4 and 5, 2021, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reported that the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) has begun experimenting with training a brigade of new pilots to fly the J-10, a fourth-generation fighter, at the Shijiazhuang Flight Academy, one of its three flight academies. In the

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Humans First, Weapon Second?

The United States Air Force (USAF) views its human warfighter as its most valuable assets. USAF fighter pilots participate in preventive care programs, such as Optimizing the Human Weapon System (OHWS), which provide them with extra embedded physical and psychological support to improve

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Second Combat Brigade of PRC Air Force Likely Receives Stealth Fighter

Something unusual appeared in a recent satellite image of an airbase in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In the image, a J-20 appears to be taxiing from the runway at Anshan Airport, a military-civilian, dual-use airport in northeastern China that is the home base of the 1st Aviation Brigade of

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