China Aerospace Studies Institute

Air University (AU)

The PLA Hopes B-21 Will Follow in B-2’s Footsteps

The B-21 was unveiled to the public on December 2, 2022. In the following two months several assessments of the B-21 were published in the media of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Almost all the articles avoided assessing the capabilities of the B-21

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PLA Air Force Expands Fourth-Generation Transition Training to Another Academy

Late in December 2022 the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) indicated that the training of pilots transitioning from trainers to fourth-generation fighters has expanded to another of the PLA Air Force’s (PLAAF) flight academies. Consequently, two of the PLAAF’s three flight academies are now conducting

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The Centralization of the PLA Air Force’s Basic and Technical Training

Initial entry training is a major undertaking for any armed force, but China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force (PLAAF) faces a unique set of challenges based on its enlisted force’s large size, relatively short service commitments, and high proportion of technical requirements. Although the

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Sichuan Tengden Technology: Privately Owned, State Sponsored

Traditionally, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) acquires whole systems that are manufactured or integrated by companies partially- or wholly-owned by the state-owned enterprises (SOEs) that fall under the State Administration for Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND). It

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PLA Aerospace Primer 3rd Edition

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CASI Webinar on the PLA Air Force

In March of 2022, CASI hosted a webinar focused on the PLA Air Force. We were honored to host Cristina Garafola, Derek Solen, and Eli Tirk for this session.You can watch the video on DVIDS at: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/851247/casi-webinar-plaafOr on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/ZukCJvY8l4s

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PLA Air Force: Bomber Force Training

Bomber Unit TrainingThis paper provides information about bomber pilot training with a focus on daily training and over-water training in the Western Pacific and South China Sea, as well as participation in the Golden Dart competition in China and the Aviadarts component of the International Army

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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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