PLAAF Airborne Corps

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People's Liberation Army Air Force Airborne Corps
中国人民解放军空降兵军
Zhōngguó Rénmín Jiěfàngjūn Kōngjiàngbīng Jūn
Active 1961–present
Country Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg People's Republic of China
AllegianceFlag of the Chinese Communist Party.svg Communist Party of China [1]
BranchAir Force Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  People's Liberation Army Air Force
Type Airborne forces, air force infantry
Size 30,000 personnel
Garrison/HQ Xiaogan, Hubei
Engagements Korean War

The People's Liberation Army Air Force Airborne Corps (simplified Chinese :中国人民解放军空降兵军; traditional Chinese :中國人民解放軍空降兵軍; pinyin :Zhōngguó Rénmín Jiěfàngjūn kKōngjiàngbīng Jūn; literally: "Chinese People's Liberation Army Airborne Corps [2] ") is a corps directly under the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) headquarters. It was reorganized and renamed from the 15th Airborne Corps in May 2017 [3] 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)[ citation needed ] 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/82nd Airborne Division.

Simplified Chinese characters standardized Chinese characters developed in mainland China

Simplified Chinese characters are standardized Chinese characters prescribed in the Table of General Standard Chinese Characters for use in mainland China. Along with traditional Chinese characters, they are one of the two standard character sets of the contemporary Chinese written language. The government of the People's Republic of China in mainland China has promoted them for use in printing since the 1950s and 1960s to encourage literacy. They are officially used in the People's Republic of China and Singapore.

Traditional Chinese characters Traditional Chinese characters

Traditional Chinese characters are Chinese characters in any character set that does not contain newly created characters or character substitutions performed after 1946. They are most commonly the characters in the standardized character sets of Taiwan, of Hong Kong and Macau, and in the Kangxi Dictionary. The modern shapes of traditional Chinese characters first appeared with the emergence of the clerical script during the Han Dynasty, and have been more or less stable since the 5th century.

Hanyu Pinyin, often abbreviated to pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese in mainland China and to some extent in Taiwan. It is often used to teach Standard Mandarin Chinese, which is normally written using Chinese characters. The system includes four diacritics denoting tones. Pinyin without tone marks is used to spell Chinese names and words in languages written with the Latin alphabet, and also in certain computer input methods to enter Chinese characters.

Contents

Only one of the PLAAF Airborne Corps' former three divisions (or just 2 to 3 of the current 7 brigades) can deploy to any part of China within 48 hours due to limited airlift capabilities. In the late 1990s the airlift capability of the PLAAF consisted of 10 IL-76 heavy lift, Yu-8, and Yu-7 transports, as well as Mi-17, Mi-8, Z-8, and Z-9 helicopters. As such, the PLAAF could only lift one division of 11,000 men complemented with light tanks and self-propelled artillery. In 1988, there were reports claiming that a 10,000 man airborne division was transported to Tibet in less than 48 hours.

Mil Mi-17 family of Russian military transport helicopters

The Mil Mi-17 is a Soviet/Russian helicopter in production at two factories in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russian service. It is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter. There are also armed gunship versions.

Mil Mi-8 family of transport helicopters

The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union, and now produced by Russia. In addition to its most common role as a transport helicopter, the Mi-8 is also used as an airborne command post, armed gunship, and reconnaissance platform. Along with the related, more powerful Mil Mi-17, the Mi-8 is among the world's most-produced helicopters, used by over 50 countries. As of 2015, it is the third most common operational military aircraft in the world.

Harbin Z-9 series of utility helicopters

The Harbin Z-9 is a Chinese military utility helicopter with civilian variants. It is a licensed variant of the French Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin, and is manufactured by Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation.

History

The PLAAF Airborne Corps traces its lineage to an infantry army in the Fourth Field Army. There is a common misconception that the PLAAF Airborne Corps initially originated from Deng Xiaoping's Second Field Army. In fact, the 15th Army was transferred to the Second Field Army in 1950. [4] The unit was involved the Chinese Civil War and carried out anti-bandit operations in southern Sichuan before being deployed in Korea in February 1951. [5] As part of the 3rd Army Group joining the Korean War, the 15th Army was involved in the Chinese Fifth Phase Offensive on April 1951. [6] Due to the stellar performance of the 15th Army during the Battle of Triangle Hill in November 1952, the unit received numerous appraisals and even titles of being an elite army unit. [7]

Fourth Field Army

The Fourth Field Army was a military formation of the People's Liberation Army. It was formed during the Chinese Civil War by existing members of Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army stationed in Manchuria along with others, where they fought against the Republic of China government. The army also incorporated elements of the former Manchurian occupation forces, which included around 30 thousand Japanese troops. The army was commanded by Lin Biao, and it was involved in many crucial battles including the Liaoshen Campaign.

Second Field Army

The Second Field Army was a military formation of the Chinese Communist Party during the last stages of the Chinese Civil War.

Chinese Civil War 1927–1950 civil war in China

The Chinese Civil War was a civil war in China fought between the Kuomintang (KMT)-led government of the Republic of China and the Communist Party of China (CPC) lasting intermittently between 1927 and 1949. Although particular attention is paid to the four years of Chinese Communist Revolution from 1945 to 1949, the war actually started in August 1927, with the White Terror at the end of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's Northern Expedition, and essentially ended when major hostilities between the two sides ceased in 1950. The conflict took place in two stages, the first between 1927 and 1937, and the second from 1946 to 1950; the Second Sino-Japanese War from 1937 to 1945 was an interlude in which the two sides were united against the forces of Japan. The Civil War marked a major turning point in modern Chinese history, with the Communists gaining control of mainland China and establishing the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, forcing the Republic of China (ROC) to retreat to Taiwan. It resulted in a lasting political and military standoff between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, with the ROC in Taiwan and the PRC in mainland China both officially claiming to be the legitimate government of all China.

On July 26, 1950, the PLAAF's Airborne Troops began when the 1st Airborne Brigade was raised. On August 1, the brigade's Headquarters moved to Kaifeng, Henan Province, which were designated as the division's training bases. On September 17, the PLAAF formed the PLAAF 1st Airborne Brigade by recruiting six thousand battle hardened soldiers across the 40 Armies of PLA. Following the Soviet practice, this airborne brigade was assigned to the 1st Marine Division, which eventually became an airborne division. Training of the PLAAF 1st Marine Brigade immediately begun and after merely eleven days of intensive training, on September 29, 1950, its soldiers made their first jump. Cui Hanqing (崔汉卿), the commander of the 1st Airborne Battalion led the way and became the first paratrooper of PLA when he jumped first. Thereafter, the unit's designation changed several times, becoming the Air Force Marine 1st Division, the Paratroops Division of the Air Force, then the Airborne Division. In May 1961, the Military Commission changed the Ground Forces 15th Army, which had fought during the Korean War, into the PLAAF 15th Airborne Army, and subordinated the PLAAF's original airborne division to this new Army. [8] All of the PLA's paratroop units belongs to the PLAAF.

Kaifeng Prefecture-level city in Henan, Peoples Republic of China

Kaifeng, known previously by several names, is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, for being the capital seven times in history, and is most famous for being the capital of China in the Northern Song dynasty.

Henan Province

Henan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (中州) which literally means "central plain land" or "midland", although the name is also applied to the entirety of China proper. Henan is the birthplace of Chinese civilization with over 3,000 years of recorded history, and remained China's cultural, economical, and political center until approximately 1,000 years ago.

Peoples Liberation Army combined military forces of the Peoples Republic of China

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the armed forces of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and its founding and ruling political party, the Communist Party of China (CPC). The PLA consists of five professional service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force, and the Strategic Support Force. Units around the country are assigned to one of five theater commands by geographical location. The PLA is the world's largest military force and constitutes the second largest defence budget in the world. It is one of the fastest modernising military powers in the world and has been termed as a potential military superpower, with significant regional defense and rising global power projection capabilities. China is also the third largest arms exporter in the world.

In the 1960s when the commander of the PLAAF, General Liu Yalou was asked to create an airborne army, he picked the 15th Army because he had been impressed by its performance in Korea.

Liu Yalou Chinese general

Liu Yalou was a general in the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China, first commander-in-chief of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, as well as chief of staff of Lin Biao's army group during the Chinese Civil War, occupied the whole of Manchuria in 1948 and captured 472,000 Nationalist troops in the Liaoshen Campaign.

During the restructuring of the PLA in 1985, the 15th Army was reduced to three brigades. In the 1990s, the PLA's concept of People's War was replaced by the Limited High-Intensity War concept. This in turn resulted in a return to a divisional structure with an all-over increase of 25% in the 15th Army's strength. It is now more appropriately referring to it as the 15th Airborne Corps.

In 1985, most of the soldiers in the 15th Army were ordinary paratroopers trained for general supporting duties in a combined army campaign. Only 17 percent of them were specialized paratroopers. However, this percentage has now risen to 43 percent and ordinary paratroopers have dropped from 53 percent to 23 percent. The purpose of this increase in the percentage of specialized paratroopers was to make the 15th Airborne Corps into a combined arms force rather than just a mobile infantry force. Thus making it more capable of conducting independent operations in a limited but highly technological focused conflict. [9]

In May 1989, the 15th Airborne Corps’ 43rd and 44th Paratrooper Brigades were deployed to Beijing to enforce martial law and suppress the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. [10]

The 15th Airborne Corps has been renamed the People’s Liberation Army Air Force Airborne Corps in April 2017, with 9 brigades and all the divisions has been disbanded altogether. [11]

Current

According to You Ji's "The Armed forces of China", the PLAAF Airborne Corps has been elevated to the status of a strategic force. It is a departure from the PLA traditional airborne force concept. Doctrinal modernization change allows the PLAAF Airborne Corps to act as a principal force employed for independent campaign missions in future wars. It is now accepted that the airborne troops should be used for pre-emptive attack on the enemy's key military targets in the rear area in order to paralyze or disrupt its preparation for an offensive. This kind of large-scale mission cannot be conducted without having a total control in the air. Also, a single-lift capability of 50,000 men is required for this type of missions. Currently, the PLAAF can only lift one division of 11,000 men with light tanks and self-propelled artillery.

In 2006 Dennis Blasko wrote that the PLAAF Airborne Corps headquarters is in Xiaogan, north of Wuhan in Hubei. The airborne divisions were located as follows: the 43rd Division stationed in Kaifeng, Henan (127th and 128th Airborne Infantry and 129th Airborne Artillery Regiments), and the 44th and 45th Divisions also in the Wuhan area at Guangshui and Huangpi. [12]

More and more focus will be placed on helicopter assaults as opposed to traditional parachute drops. In times of war, the PLAAF Airborne Corps can also utilize transport aircraft such as Shaanxi Y-9, Shaanxi Y-8, Xian Y-7, and very large numbers of Y-5 (700+) utility transports. During a number of exercises, the PLAAF Airborne Corps has demonstrated it can move a regiment plus of paratroopers with light armored vehicles to anywhere within China in less than 24 hours. These exercises also show that a large number of para-gliders are in use.

The PLAAF Airborne Corps' weapons inventory includes 50-100 ZLC2000 derivatives and 2S9 self-propelled mortars, large numbers of BJ212 jeeps with 105mm recoilless rifles or HJ-11 ATGM, and Type 89 120 mm SP anti-tank guns. The last two weapon platforms are air transportable. Additional weapons include Type 84 82mm mortars, Type 85 60mm light mortars, Type 85 107 mm MRL, and more. In 1997, a new lightweight high-mobility vehicle entered service. Reportedly, up to ten of these vehicles can be carried by a Y-7H military transport. Paratroopers are outfitted with portable GPS systems, night-vision goggles, radios and other high-tech equipment.

The Airborne Divisions have various special units, including weapons controllers, reconnaissance, infantry, artillery, communications, engineering, chemical defense, and transportation soldiers. Today, the Airborne Brigades which are further divided into battalions and companies or batteries.

International Army Games

In 2015, Chinese paratroopers took first place in the International Army Games which took place in Russia. [13]

The Chinese airborne troops performed excellently in the five-kilometer accelerated march, overcoming obstacles and shooting with small arms on that day. The Chinese team left the Russian team far behind in the contest of shooting with small arms after seven out of the nine 40mm rocket shells launched by the Russian participants missed the targets. [13]

Plus its parachuting score on August 3, the Chinese team won the first place with a total score of 1 hour 18 minutes and 17 seconds, which was 17 minutes 15 seconds ahead of the Russian team that ranked the second. [13]

The performance of the Chinese team on August 4 was appreciated by its rivals. The deputy leader of the Byelorussian team commented that the outstanding performance of the Chinese paratroopers showed "they are fully prepared and well trained." [13]

In 2016, Chinese paratroopers came in third place in the International Army Games which took place in Russia. [14]

In 2017, a Chinese paratrooper team placed first in the Airborne Platoon contest at the International Army Games-2017. [15] The Chinese airborne troops won first place in 11 out of 12 events. [16] Russia was second and Kazakhstan, third, the media were told at the contest’s press-center. [15] The Chinese team scored 62 points while the Russian team scored 50 points. The Kazakhstan team scored 42 points. [15]

See also

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References

Citations

  1. ↑ "The PLA Oath" (PDF). February 2009. Retrieved 2015-10-30. I am a member of the People's Liberation Army. I promise that I will follow the leadership of the Communist Party of China...
  2. ↑ Chan, Joe. "FACTBOX - China's growing military clout". Reuters. An instructor aligns the formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Airborne Corps during a training session at the 60th National Day Parade Village on the outskirts of Beijing, September 15, 2009.
  3. ↑ "In-depth: A close look at Chinese airborne troops". english.chinamil.com.cn ("The Only Official English-Language News Website of the Chinese People's Liberation Army"). PLA Daily . 2017-08-29. In early May this year, the 15th airborne corps was reorganized into the "corps of PLA airborne troops".
  4. ↑ PLA Academy of Military Science 2000 , p. 249.
  5. ↑ Hu & Ma 1987 , p. 36.
  6. ↑ PLA Academy of Military Science 2000 , p. 376.
  7. ↑ Zhang 2010 , p. 308.
  8. ↑ GlobalSecurity.org "PLA Airborne Troops"
  9. ↑ China Defense.com "The 15th Airborne Corp" Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine .
  10. ↑ Based on Wu Renhua's study. (Chinese)Wu Renhua, "进京的戒严部队和进京路线" 《1989天安门事件二十周年祭》系列之十二 Accessed 2013-06-29
  11. ↑ http://www.guancha.cn/military-affairs/2017_05_03_406570.shtml
  12. ↑ Blasko, The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation, 2006, 69
  13. 1 2 3 4 Jianing, Yao. "Chinese team ranks first in first stage of Airborne Platoon competition". english.chinamil.com.cn.
  14. ↑ "Airborne platoon". eng.armygames2016.mil.ru.
  15. 1 2 3 http://tass.com/defense/959711
  16. ↑ http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/2017special/97384.htm

Sources

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