List of active People's Liberation Army Air Force aircraft

The following is a list of military aircraft currently used by People's Liberation Army Air Force. For a list of current aircraft in all branches of the People's Liberation Army, see here.

Aircraft

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Variant	In service	Notes
Combat aircraft: 2,989 [1]
Chengdu J-10	China	multirole	J-10A	236 [1]
			J-10S	77
			J-10B	55
			J-10C	240
Chengdu J-20	China	stealth air superiority	J-20A/S	300+
Shenyang J-8	China	Interceptor	J-8F/H	40 [1]	Phasing out
Shenyang J-11	China	air superiority	J-11/B/BS	445	License built Sukhoi Su-27 variant.
Shenyang J-16	China	strike fighter	J-16/D	390
Shenyang J-35	China	stealth multirole	J-35A	8+ [2]
Sukhoi Su-27	Soviet Union	air superiority	Su-27UBK	32 [1]
Sukhoi Su-30	Russia	multirole	Su-30MKK/MK2	97 [1]
Sukhoi Su-35	Russia	air superiority	Su-35S	24 [1]
Xian H-6	China	strategic bomber	H-6A	12 [1]	H-6A used for training. License built Tupolev Tu-16 variant.
			H-6G/GMod	27
			H-6J	18
			H-6H/M	40
			H-6K	110
			H-6N	12+
Xian JH-7	China	fighter bomber	JH-7A	200 [1]
AEW&C
KJ-2000	China / Russia	AEW&C		4 [1]	Chinese radar installed on an Ilyushin Il-76 airframe
Shaanxi KJ-200	China	AEW&C		11 [1]
Shaanxi KJ-500	China	AEW&C		40 [1]
Reconnaissance
JZ-8	China	Reconnaissance	JZ-8/F	48 [1]
Electronic warfare
Shaanxi Y-8	China	electronic warfare	Y-8CB/DZ/G/XZ	14 [1]
Shaanxi Y-9	China	electronic warfare	Y-9G/XZ	5 [1]
Shenyang J-16	China	Electronic-warfare aircraft	J-16D	12 [1]	Specialized for radar jamming
Tupolev Tu-154	Soviet Union	SIGINT / ELINT	Tu-154M/D	4 [1]
Maritime patrol
Boeing 737	United States	patrol		2 [1]
Shaanxi Y-8	China	patrol		3 [1]
Tanker
Ilyushin Il-78	Soviet Union	aerial refuelling		3 [1]
Xian H-6	China	aerial refuelling	H-6U/H-6DU	15 [1]
Xian YY-20A	China	aerial refuelling		8 [1]
Transport
Ilyushin Il-76	Soviet Union	strategic airlifter		20 [1]
Shaanxi Y-8	China	transport	Y-8C	30 [1]
Shaanxi Y-9	China	transport		30 [1]
Shijiazhuang Y-5	China	transport		70 [1]
Tupolev Tu-154	Soviet Union	transport	Tu-154M	8 [1]
Xian Y-7	China	transport	Y-7H	41 [1]
Xian Y-20	China	strategic airlifter / tanker		50 [1]
Helicopter
Changhe Z-8	China / France	transport		18 [1]	License built 321 Super Frelon variant
Eurocopter AS332	France	transport		6 [1]
Eurocopter EC225	Multinational	VIP transport		3 [1]
Harbin Z-9	China / France	utility		20 [1]	License built AS365 Dauphin variant
Harbin Z-20	China	SAR	Z-20S	15 [1]
Mil Mi-8	Soviet Union	utility / transport	Mi-17/171	6 [1]
Trainer aircraft: 1027+
Chengdu J-7	China	conversion training	JJ-7/A	200 [1]
Guizhou JL-9	China	jet trainer		45 [1]
Hongdu JL-8	China	jet trainer		350 [1]
Hongdu JL-10	China	jet trainer		50+ [1]
Nanchang CJ-6	China	basic trainer	CJ-6/A/B	400+ [1]
Xian HYJ-7	China	two-engine trainer		15 [1]

References

1. International Institute for Strategic Studies, ed. (2025). The Military Balance 2025. London: Routledge. p. 245-246. ISBN   978-1-041-04967-8.
2. "An Entirely New Stealth Fighter Just Joined China's Air Force: How Capable is the J-35?". Military Watch Magazine. 6 July 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.