People's Liberation Army Ground Force Aviation

People's Liberation Army Army Air Corps
People's Liberation Army Army Air Corps
中国人民解放军陆军军航空兵
	Flag of the People's Liberation Army Ground FOrce
Active	1987–present
Country	People's Republic of China
Allegiance	Chinese Communist Party
Branch	People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Type	Army aviation
Size	? personnel ; 1040+ aircraft
Part of	People's Liberation Army
Aircraft flown
Attack helicopter	Harbin Z-19, Changhe Z-10
Cargo helicopter	Mil Mi-17
Multirole helicopter	Harbin Z-9, Harbin Z-20
Utility helicopter	Changhe Z-8, Changhe Z-18, Mil Mi-17
Reconnaissance	BZK-005, BZK-007, WZ-7 Soaring Dragon
Transport	Y-7, Y-8, Y-9

Last updated May 14, 2024

The PLA Army Air Corps is the air arm of the People's Liberation Army's Ground Force. Its principal mission is to provide close air support, air assault, transportation, and overall air assistance to the land forces of the PLA. It deploys primordially rotary wing aircraft. ^[1]

History

The PLA Army Aviation Corps was established on October 3, 1986, by decision of the Central Military Commission, at the time under the leadership of its chairman Deng Xiaoping, as part of an effort to modernize the organization of the PLA. The Corps started operating in 1987. On January 8, 1988, the first army aviation unit was established in the Beijing Military Region.

The initial units of the army aviation corps used equipment transferred from the PLAAF, including mostly the first Chinese-made helicopter, the Harbin Z-5 (a version of the Mil Mi-4), the licensed-made Z-8 (a version of the French Aérospatiale SA 321 Super Frelon) and the American-made S-70C "Black Hawk" purchased during the Sino-American thaw of the 1980s. The success of the American attack helicopters during the Gulf War impressed the Chinese military command, which put more emphasis on the development of indigenous helicopters. This accelerated program would lead to the introduction in 1994 of the Harbin Z-9 (developed from the French Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin), the Harbin Z-19 (an armed variant of the Z-9, introduced in 2012), the medium attack Changhe Z-10 (introduced in 2012), and the medium utility helicopter Harbin Z-20 (generally based on the Black Hawk in configuration, introduced in 2019).

The progress of the local helicopter industry, however, was slow. The difficulty providing relief after the Wenchuan Earthquake of 2008 brought into clear relief the shortage of helicopters in China, both civilian and military, in particular helicopters capable of operating at high altitudes. The need for more helicopters became apparent and the procurement of military rotary wing aircraft accelerated. While the native Z-19 and Z-10 were already available, the Chinese government tried to accelerate the equipment of full brigades by purchasing a large number of Mil Mi-17 helicopters in 2019, a sign of its desire to accelerate the development of army aviation.^[2]

Organization

By 2013, the army aviation regiments in six military regions were ungraded to brigades. After the 2015 military reforms, the military regions were merged into theaters and each group army within each theater was intended to have an independent Army Aviation brigade.

As of 2023, each of the 13 PLAGF group armies, plus the Tibet and Xinjiang special military regions, had an aviation brigade, for a total of 13 army aviation brigades and 2 air assault brigades. Each army aviation brigade is composed of 2-3 attack helicopter battalions, and 3-4 transport and assault helicopter battalions, for a total of 32 to 48 attack helicopters and 48 to 64 transport helicopters.^[3] The estimated current number of available aircraft runs between 1,000 and 1,500, depending on the source.

The current army aviation units are as follows, the brigade number being usually the same as the group army's number.

Eastern Theater Command
- 71st Army Aviation Brigade (attached to the 71st Group Army)
- 72nd Army Aviation Brigade (attached to the 72nd Group Army)
- 73rd Army Aviation Brigade (attached to the 73rd Group Army)
Southern Theater Command
- 74th Army Aviation Brigade (attached to the 74th Group Army)
- 121st Air Assault Brigade (attached to the 75th Group Army)
Northern Theater Command
- 78th Army Aviation Brigade (attached to the 78th Group Army)
- 79th Army Aviation Brigade (attached to the 79th Group Army)
- 80th Army Aviation Brigade (attached to the 80th Group Army)
Central Theater Command
- 81st Army Aviation Brigade (attached to the 81st Group Army
- 82nd Army Aviation Brigade (attached to the 82nd Group Army)
- 161st Air Assault Brigade (attached to the 83rd Group Army)
Western Theater Command
- 76th Army Aviation Brigade (attached to the 76th Group Army
- 77th Army Aviation Brigade (attached to the 77th Group Army
The 84th Army Aviation Brigade in the Xinjiang Military Region.
The 85th Army Aviation Brigade in the Tibet Military Region.

The Beijing Garrison, plus the Macao and Hong Kong Garrisons, are the only major regional subdivisions of the PLA without an attached army aviation brigade (although smaller helicopter units are available).

Equipment

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Variant	In service
Attack Helicopters
Harbin Z-19	China	attack helicopter/reconnaissance	Z-19WZ	120+^[4]
Changhe Z-10	China	Attack/Multirole	WZ-10	200+^[4]
Utility Helicopters
Harbin Z-9	China	Utility		120+^[4]
Mil Mi-17	Russia	Utility		88^[4]
Transport Helicopters
Changhe Z-8	China	Heavy Transport	Y-8A/B/L	135^[4]
Mil Mi-17	Russia	Medium Transport		140^[4]
Sikorsky S-70	USA	Medium Transport		19^[4]
Harbin Z-20	China	Medium Transport		150^[4]
Eurocopter EC120 Colibri	France	Light Transport		15^[4]
Changhe Z-11	China	Light Transport		53^[4]
Fixed-Wing Transports
Xian Y-7	China	transport		2^[4]
Shaanxi Y-8	China	Tactical transport		2^[4]
Shaanxi Y-9	China	Transport		2^[4]
Unmanned aerial vehicle
BZK-007^[4]	China	MALE UAV
Harbin BZK-005 ^[4]	China	MALE UAV
CASC CH-4B ^[4]	China	HALE UAV

Related Research Articles

The People's Liberation Army Air Force, also referred to as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army. The Air Force is composed of five sub-branches: aviation, ground-based air defense, radar, Airborne Corps, and other support elements.

The People's Liberation Army Ground Force is the land-based service branch of the People's Liberation Army and also it's largest and oldest branch. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 1927 as the Chinese Red Army; however, it was not officially established until 1948.

The People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps (PLANMC), also known as the People's Liberation Army Marine Corps (PLAMC), is the marine force of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and one of five major branches of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) responsible for amphibious warfare, expeditionary operations and rapid responses. It currently consists of seven 6,000-man combined armed brigades and four other supporting brigades including aviation, engineering & chemical defense, artillery and service-support brigades for a total of 40,000. It further includes a brigade-level special operations unit called "Jiaolong Commando Unit"

Royal Air Force Woodbridge, or more simply RAF Woodbridge, is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Woodbridge in the county of Suffolk, England.

In the People's Republic of China, the special operations forces of the People's Liberation Army are units that conduct direct action and reconnaissance, including in enemy rear areas, to prepare the advance of friendly forces; they also perform counter-terrorism operations, although that mission is formally assigned to People's Armed Police. PLA SOF does not control, but may support, psychological warfare operations.

Group armies or army groups or combined corps, are corps-level military formations of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force of China. Despite what the name suggests, current Group Armies are not army-level formations, but corps-sized formations commanding 12 to 14 brigades, roughly equivalent to United States Army Corps.

The Guangzhou Military Region was from 1955 to 2016 one of the People's Liberation Army PLA Military Regions, located in the south of the People's Republic of China. In May 1949, the Central China Military Region (MR) was formed. In March 1955, it was divided into two, the Guangzhou MR and the Wuhan Military Region. When the Wuhan MR was disbanded in August 1985, its troops stationed around the Hubei province were assigned to the Guangzhou MR.

The Shenyang Military Region was one of seven military regions for the Chinese People's Liberation Army. It has command and control of military and armed police forces in the three northeast provinces of Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Liaoning, which also form Military Districts. This region is now superseded by the Northern Theater Command.

A theater command (中国人民解放军战区) is a joint military command of the Central Military Commission that is composed of units from the service branches of the People's Liberation Army in its area of responsibility, and conducts broad and continuing missions. There are 5 theater commands: Eastern, Southern, Western, Northern, and Central theater commands, organized by a geographical basis. They are responsible for developing strategy, plans, tactics, and policy specific to their assigned area of responsibility. They are intended to take operational control of the multi-service units under their jurisdiction, while the branches retain administrative and "constructive" control.

The 82nd Group Army, Unit 31677, formerly the 38th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 82nd Group Army is one of thirteen total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces in the People's Republic of China, and one of three assigned to the nation's Central Theater Command.

The 235th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, formerly the 79th Division, is a military formation of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force. It's now a maneuvering brigade of the PLA 71st Group Army.

The 78th Group Army, Unit 31669, formerly the 16th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 78th Group Army is one of thirteen total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces in the People's Republic of China, and one of three assigned to the nation's Northern Theater Command.

The 72nd Group Army, Unit 31657, formerly the 1st Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 71st Group Army is one of thirteen total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces in the People's Republic of China, and one of three assigned to the nation's Eastern Theater Command. Headquartered in Huzhou, Zhejiang, the unit's primary mission is likely preparation for conflict in or about the Taiwan Strait.

The Harbin Z-20 is a Chinese medium-lift utility helicopter produced by the Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG). It was first flown on 23 December 2013 and has a maximum takeoff weight in the range of 10 tonnes (22,000 lb). The Z-20 can operate from locations above 4,000 m (13,000 ft) in altitude as well as from the Liaoning aircraft carrier. It is regarded to be comparable in performance to the US-made Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, of which the civilian Sikorsky S-70C-2 variant has been used by the People's Liberation Army since 1984.

The Central Theater Command is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army of China, and was founded on 1 February 2016. Its predecessors were the Beijing Military Region and Jinan Military Region.

The Northern Theater Command is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, founded on 1 February 2016. Its predecessor is the Shenyang Military Region, Jinan Military Region and Beijing Military Region. Its headquarters is in the Heping District of Shenyang, Liaoning Province. The Northern Theater Command shares borders with North Korea, Russia and Mongolia.

The Eastern Theater Command is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), founded 1 February 2016. It replaced the Nanjing Military Region. The command is headquartered in Nanjing.

The 10th Tank Division was formed in August 1967 with the 4th Independent Tank Regiment, 284th Tank Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment from the 79th Army Division and the 286th Tank Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment from the 81st Army Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Liberation Army Air Force Airborne Corps</span> Airborne corps under direct command of the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force

The People's Liberation Army Air Force Airborne Corps is an airborne corps under direct command of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). It was reorganized and renamed from the 15th Airborne Corps in May 2017 and now comprises six airborne brigades and a special operations brigade. The PLAAF Airborne Corps is China's primary strategic airborne unit and part of the newly formed rapid reaction units (RRUs) of the Chinese military which is primarily designated for airborne and special operation missions. Its role is similar to that of the U.S. Army's XVIII Airborne Corps, the British Army's Parachute Regiment and the Russian Airborne Forces.

References

Citations

↑ Zhang, Dehe (2013). The PLA Army Aviation Corps. Series of Chinese army (English ed.). Beijing: China Intercontinental Press. ISBN 978-7-5085-2484-9. OCLC 884478388.
↑ GDC (2020-09-25). "Why did China buy Russian Mi-171sh helicopter when it has Z-10?". Global Defense Corp. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
↑ "就这么威猛豪横！15个陆航旅，直升机规模近1500架，仅次于美军|阿帕奇_网易订阅". 2021-04-30. Archived from the original on 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 The International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024, p. 256.

Sources

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (13 February 2024). The Military Balance 2024. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-032-78004-7.Zhang, Dehe. (2013) The PLA Army Aviation Corps (Series of Chinese Army) (English Edition) (p. 1). China Intercontinental Press. Kindle Edition. ISBN 978-7-5085-2484-9

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Zhang, Dehe (2013). The PLA Army Aviation Corps. Series of Chinese army (English ed.). Beijing: China Intercontinental Press. ISBN 978-7-5085-2484-9. OCLC 884478388.

[2] GDC (2020-09-25). "Why did China buy Russian Mi-171sh helicopter when it has Z-10?". Global Defense Corp. Retrieved 2024-05-03.

[3] "就这么威猛豪横！15个陆航旅，直升机规模近1500架，仅次于美军|阿帕奇_网易订阅". 2021-04-30. Archived from the original on 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2024-05-03.

[FOOTNOTEThe_International_Institute_for_Strategic_Studies2024256-4] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 The International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024, p. 256.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]