China Aerospace Studies Institute

Air University (AU)

Survey of PRC Drone Swarm Inventions

This work builds upon CASI’s 2018 The PLA’s Unmanned Aerial Systems: New Capabilities for a “New Era” of Chinese Military Power by Elsa Kania1 and is intended to specifically address the Chinese capacity for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarm innovation, tactics, and mission sets.In December 2018,

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PLA Naval Aviation Reorganization 2023

In early 2023, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) began transferring PLA Navy Aviation units to the PLA Air Force. By mid-2023, the PLA transferred the majority of PLAN fighter, bomber, radar, air defense, and airfield units to the PLA Air Force (PLAAF). In total, the PLA transferred at least three

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The PLA Reconceptualizes Control of the Air

The PLA is now promoting a more nuanced and modern understanding of control of the air. Consequently, the PLA is unlikely to seek command of the air in future military campaigns, and it is likely to reduce its spatial and temporal requirements for control of the air as its capabilities to conduct

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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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