Recently the US Department of Defense (DoD) presented a very thorough study on the People's Liberation Army, the Armed Forces of China.
In the document presented to Congress, the DoD points out that China currently has around 2800 aircraft in the PLAAF (Air Force) and PLAN (Navy). Of these, around 2250 are combat aircraft, such as bombers and fighters, with the rest being cargo and enger transport aircraft, in addition to tankers such as the Il-78.
The large number is second only to Russia and the United States, which are in 2nd and 1st places, respectively.
The Pentagon study also points out that China is gradually migrating the focus of the priority capabilities of its Armed Forces. While focusing on a large ground force, China is also betting heavily on attack aircraft to “offensive and defensive operations, plus long-range air power”.
Currently, China focuses mainly on the development of “own aircraft”, which are directly derived from Soviet/Russian aircraft. The only limitation, however, is the difficulty the country faces in producing its own engines.
This limitation is mainly affecting the growth of the fleet of larger aircraft, used for transport, reconnaissance and nuclear bombing or in-flight refueling (REVO) of other aircraft. However, fighters such as the J-10, J-16 and the stealthy J-20 already use Brazilian engines.
China's "Own" Airplanes in the Military Area
In the 80s, China began a major climb to increase its presence in the skies and even in space. At the time, the country had a little Soviet help, buying these planes in addition to closing partnerships for important projects, which paid off in the following decade.
Continuing the endeavor through the 90s and 2000s, China took advantage of the economic fragility of Russia and Ukraine to close more partnerships and gain access to the most advanced aircraft, such as the Su-30MKK and Su-33 Flanker-D. Together, China had access to the engines that served as a basis for developing its own products.
These partnerships yielded one of China's strongest air strike arms and multirole fighters, the Shenyang J-11. The model appeared in the late 90s as a licensed version of the Sukhoi Su-27, assembled in the country by the Shenyang Aircraft Company through kits made by the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant (KnAPPO), the manufacturing plant responsible for producing some variants. of the Flanker Family (Su-27).
After the end of production of the J-11 in kits, China began to fully manufacture the J-11B, an improved version, but without the Russian license. Today there are around 297 fighters of different versions in operation, one of the main ones in PLAAF service. The J-11 was also one of the first aircraft to receive the Shenyang WS-10 engine.
Experience with the J-11 and the acquisition of Su-30MKK fighters later gave rise to the Shenyang J-16. A multirole fighter, but with more emphasis on Air-to-Ground operations, the J-16 is one of the newest aircraft in the Chinese fleet, with more than 150 aircraft in operation.
During Airshow China, a new variant of the J-16 was officially presented to the public: the J-16D. The new version was developed for electronic warfare, being similar to the US Navy's EA-18G Growler (excluding the onboard operations part). The model is already in service, participating in exercises with the other PLAAF fighters.
The J-15 is a Chinese copy of the Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker-D, the naval version of the Su-27 Flanker. The aircraft emerged around mid-2009/2010 and was introduced into military service in 2013. It is currently the only naval fighter in operation in China, with around 35 aircraft in service with Chinese Naval Aviation. The J-15 was developed from the T-10K-3, one of the prototypes of the Russian Su-33 acquired from Ukraine around 2001, together with the aircraft carrier Varyag, which was refurbished and became the first ship of its kind. in the Chinese Navy, now called the Liaoning.
The J-10 Vigorous Dragon is one of the main fighters of the PLAAF and Chinese Naval Aviation (despite not being operated on aircraft carriers), in addition to being one of the most advanced aircraft developed by the country. The single-engine delta-canard was the first Chinese-designed and manufactured 4th Generation fighter aircraft.
It is estimated that the PLAAF/PLAN has around 488 aircraft in operation in the J-10A, S (two-seat), B and C versions, the latter being the newest and most advanced, equipped with the WS-10 engine, radar AESA and other improvements.
The J-10C was also newly acquired by Pakistani Air Force, marking the first export of the model. It is speculated that the J-10 was developed from the IAI Lavi, an Israeli aircraft based on the F-16, but this has not been confirmed by either China or Israel, despite the great similarities.
After Vigorous Dragon, we have Mighty Dragon. The Chengdu J-20 is the first 5th Generation fighter developed by China and the only one in military service so far. The model made its first flight in January 2011, officially revealed to the public in 2016 and introduced into service the following year.
It is estimated that China has around 150 of these aircraft in operation. When it entered service, the J-20 used the Russian Saturn AL-31 engine, but newer units are already receiving the WS-10B/C. However, the two engines are still not ideally powerful for the 17-tonne jet. In the future, the J-20 will be equipped with the WS-15, which should be 7 pounds more powerful than the current WS-10.
Last year, the first images of the Two-seat J-20. The PLAAF has yet to speak publicly about the new version, popularly called the J-20S, J-20AS or J-20B. It is believed that the two-seat fighter will be used in air-to-ground missions and for the control and management of drones. Anyway, China has the first and only two-seat stealth fighter in the world.
While the number of J-20s in service continues to increase, China continues to develop its second stealth fighter, the Shenyang J-35. In October, the first images of the model adapted for onboard operations on aircraft carriers. The J-35 evolved from the J-31/FC-31, which appeared in 2012.
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Despite being nearly 10 years old, the J-31 never entered service and also failed to attract export customers, but Shenyang went ahead with the project, which was redesigned. Now, with the arrival of the new Chinese aircraft carrier ever closer, the Type 003, which will have catapults instead of ski jump ramp, it is clear that the Chinese intend to embark a stealth fighter alongside the J-15 in their newest vessel.
In addition to a strong presence of advanced fighters (reinforced by hundreds of older and retired J-7s and J-8IIs), China is also investing heavily in improving its bomber force.
The Xian H-6 was born as a copy of the Tupolev Tu-16 Badger of the USSR but today it is the main bomber in service with the PLAN and PLAAF. Over time, the twin-engine has received a series of updates and one of its most recent variants, the H-6N, received modifications to the fuselage that allow it to carry ballistic missiles.
It is also the first Chinese nuclear bomber capable of being refueled in flight, a mission that can also be carried out by jets from HY-6 variants such as the HY-6U. The H-6K, one of the last versions of the PLAAF, received new engines, avionics and an updated electronic warfare suite. China has more than 230 H-6s in service.
Alongside the H-6s, the Navy and Air Force operate the JH-7 Flying Leopard, a tactical fighter-bomber capable of reaching Mach 1.5. Called the Flounder by NATO, the JH-7 can carry 9 tons of diverse armaments, including short-range air-to-air missiles for self-defense, air-to-ground missiles, anti-ship, anti-radar and guided bombs, in addition to an internal 23mm cannon. Around 270 aircraft remain in service with the PLAAF and PLAN, operating mainly from bases closer to the coast.
The Pentagon recognizes that China has gone from having a defensive position to having offensive attack forces, a fact that is reinforced by Beijing's threats to the island of Taiwan, seen as a rebel nation by its larger neighbor.
The changing role is also underscored by investment in in-flight refueling and long-range transport aircraft, most notably in the form of the Xian Y-20 freighter.
Until 2020, China's tanker fleet consisted of Russian-made Il-78 Midas jets and the aforementioned H-6 bomber refueling versions. However, in 2021, China put into service the first REVO version of the Y-20 freighter, designated Y-20U.
The Y-20 was designed based on the Ilyushin Il-76, even using the same engines. The aircraft has the capacity to carry 55 tonnes, enough to carry a Type 99 tank, the spearhead of the Chinese Army's cavalry.
Also called Kunpeng, in honor of a large bird in Chinese mythology, the Y-20 has been in service since 2016, being used to launch paratroopers and logistic transport in the first intervention of the New Coronavirus, when it appeared in Wuhan.
With the new refueling version, which was even used in a incursion into Taiwan's air defense zone, China is expanding not only its fleet of special mission aircraft, but also the range of its various aircraft, making its intention to expand clear. Currently, two remote-powered aircraft are already being tested.
For the future, Beijing is developing its hypersonic missile capability, being ahead of the United States in this regard. In the coming years, China will also introduce its first stealth bomber, the Xian H-20.
So far there are only artistic renderings (CGI) of the new stealth aircraft, but the similarities with the US Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit are clear. The development of the H-20 was revealed in 2016 and more and more China has been talking about the new subsonic jet, but never gives details about the progress of the project and the desired capabilities of the plane.
Text by Gabriel Centeno and Pedro Viana.
