Chinese Air Power: Current Organisation and Aircraft of all Chinese Air Forces

by Yefim Gordon

Overview

By the turn of the century China had reaffirmed its position as one of the world's leading military powers. With much importance attached to fleet renewal; the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and the Naval Aviation are fielding new types, emphasis shifting from local derivatives of Russian or western types to indigenously developed aircraft and helicopters. The book focuses on the current PLAAF/PLANAF order of battle and describes the most advanced aircraft types currently in service or due to enter service.

Among the many aircraft reviewed in this volume are the Chengdu J-10 single-engined fourth-generation fighter in service since 2003, fifth-generation fighters like the twin-engined, tail-first Chengdu J-20, and the smaller Shenyang J-31 fifth-generation light fighter. Deliveries of Xian H-6K missile carriers, the Chinese version of the Tupolev Tu-16 bomber, are continuing, the H-6N with in-flight refuelling capability, entering service in 2019. Transport aviation is not forgotten either. China has also been building an aircraft carrier fleet equipped with the Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark shipboard fighter derived from the Sukhoi Su-33.

The latest addition to the Chinese Army Aviation's arsenal is the Harbin Z-20 medium utility helicopter which looks like the Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk. Numbers of the CAIC Z-10 attack helicopter and the lighter Harbin Z-19 attack helicopter are also now operational. Unmanned aerial vehicles are also reviewed in this comprehensive survey.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781910809464
Publisher:	Crecy
Publication date:	05/04/2021
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 11.70(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Yefim Gordon was born in 1950 in Vilnius, Lithuania. He has been researching Soviet and Russian aviation history for more than 40 years and has one of the world's largest photograph and document archives on the subject. A professional aviation journalist and photographer since 1989, Yefim Gordon has published hundreds of features and photographs in Soviet, Russian and foreign aviation magazines. He has also authored and co-authored well over 100 books on Soviet and Russian aviation which are published in seven countries. He is a co-owner of the Moscow-based aviation publishing house Polygon Press Ltd. He is the author of previous titles in the Flight Craft series, Russian Gunship Helicopters and Soviet Spyplanes of the Cold War (both published by Pen and Sword Aviation in 2013).