Uncovering China Air Force’s Big Aircraft： An Important Sign of Strategic Air Force
CCTV News:Military large aircraft is an important symbol of strategic air force. So what is a strategic air force? This concept refers to: "an air force that integrates air and space, has both offensive and defensive capabilities, integrates information and firepower, can control air, sea and land with air, fully participate in various combat forms, and can implement long-range response."
By this standard, at present, the large aircraft of China Air Force has historically approached the strategic air force.
Far-sea actual combat training: air battle group far-sea assault
This is an offshore combat training conducted by the Air Force of the Eastern Theater. An air battle group consisting of early warning aircraft, bombers and fighters carries out offshore assault. The early warning aircraft is responsible for the air command post, detecting the airspace of hundreds of square kilometers, commanding the fighters to open up air passages, escorting the bombers and ensuring the bombers to carry out accurate attacks.
Li Yan, chief engineer of a certain unit of a trial training base of the Air Force:Only when the early warning aircraft is integrated into the system and used in coordination with other combat forces can it exert its maximum operational efficiency. The early warning aircraft will usually be built into this operational system integrating detection, control and evaluation together with the fire units in the air and on the ground of the electronic reconnaissance aircraft, which effectively accelerates the operational process and improves the operational efficiency.
Early warning aircraft: the development focus of military power
Early warning aircraft is an important means to enhance the ability of low-altitude and ultra-low-altitude early warning detection and air command and guidance in national air defense, and it has always been the focus of the development of military powers. Previously, only a few countries in the world, such as the United States, Russia and Israel, had the development capability.
Domestic Air Police 2000 Air Command Platform
Air Police -2000 is a modified version of China’s Russian Il -76 transport plane, with radar, electronic system and software independently developed by China. The aircraft detection radar can scan and cover in all directions, and can implement map mapping, and is good at detecting high-speed air or sea targets.
In recent years, many types of air force aircraft have crossed the Miyako Strait and the South China Sea, and they have been normalized into systematic ocean-going actual combat training, and all of them can see the early warning aircraft. Its equipment indicates that China Air Force has a real airborne information command platform.
In October 2016, the air force’s "Red Sword" large-scale campaign-level system confrontation exercise was launched in the northwest desert. Hundreds of air force fighters from two air force theaters carried out all-round actual combat confrontation. The red and blue air police 2000 and air police 500 early warning aircraft commanded, detected and guided their respective battle groups in the air. As a new type of early warning aircraft of the Air Force, the participation of Air Police 500 is particularly eye-catching in campaign-level confrontation.
Gao Guwei, head of the Air Force "Red Sword -2016" exercise evaluation team:One is to improve the early warning command capability, and the other is to expand the command scope. The networking of the ground command post and the early warning aircraft can make up for the blind spot of low-altitude detection and expand the depth of operational command. Early warning aircraft plays a special and indispensable role in future system operations and will become an important force for the system to win.
China Air Force early warning aircraft has formed a series.
Today, China Air Force’s early warning aircraft have formed a series, and they have been equipped with Air Police 200 and Air Police 500 based on Yun -9. Compared with Air Police 2000, their command and detection distance is longer, their functions are more complete, and they have been left vacant for a longer time. They have become land, sea and air combat platforms of different regions, airspace, heights and types, and the formed combat forces can be accurately attacked, so as to achieve information and firepower integration and power system.
Air Force military expert Wang Mingliang:In recent years, our air force weapons and equipment have developed and changed. From the physical point of view, everyone has a feeling that there are more and more large aircraft, including transport aircraft, early warning aircraft, electronic jammers, and including our long-range bomber. Now these large aircraft are not only equipped with air force training, but also have been widely used in normalization.
Introduction of Il -76 large transport aircraft from foreign troops
Since the 1990s, in order to meet our army’s demand for large transport aircraft, China has introduced dozens of Il -76 large transport aircraft from Russia. The aircraft is 46 meters long, with a wingspan of 50 meters and a take-off weight of 170 tons. In recent years, both the Wenchuan earthquake, the evacuation of overseas Chinese in Libya, and the search and rescue of Malaysia Airlines can see the figure of Il -76, which has made great contributions to the country and the army.
Domestic Yun -9 can be reloaded and airdropped.
This is the "Air Dart" international military competition airport hosted by China Air Force this year. The Yun -9 aircraft of China Air Force participating in the competition is reloading and airdropping weapons.
In the engine room of Yun -9 transport plane, paratroopers assault vehicles weighing several tons were bundled and fixed according to the airdrop requirements, and arrived at the scheduled airspace on time for airdrop.
Hu Gengsheng, Director of Air Force Airborne Airdrop Research Office:Yun -9 aircraft is a medium-range transport aircraft installed in the Air Force in recent years, which is mainly developed for delivering troops or materials on the plateau. It has the ability of long range and adapting to airborne airdrops at high altitude, and can airdrop two large items at a time at most.
Yun -9 has the ability of strategic delivery throughout the territory.
Compared with Yun -8 aircraft, the domestic Yun -9 aircraft cabin equipment and engine are further optimized, and the empty time is more than 10 hours, which belongs to the third generation medium-sized transport aircraft. In less than two years of installation, it has completed tasks such as air-drop and airborne on the plateau and joint training abroad, and has the strategic delivery capability of the whole territory.
Meng Qingqi, Chief of Staff of an Air Force Aviation Corps:This aircraft has a feature that it can be reached in the whole region of Xinjiang, and there are several obvious changes. The first is the engine, and our power horsepower has been improved a lot, which is to ensure that our aircraft has superior performance at low altitude. The second is our avionics system, which has changed from the previous discrete instrument layout to this vitrified cockpit, which can give full play to the advantages of the human body in terms of ergonomics.
Yun -7 to Yun -20 witnessed the history of domestic transport aircraft.
In a transport aviation division of the Air Force in the Western Theater, there are four kinds of domestic transport aircraft, Yun 7, Yun 8, Yun 9 and Yun 20, which witnessed the development experience of domestic transport aircraft from small to large and from weak to strong.
The large transport plane Yun -20 took 9 years to assemble.
In 2006, the large aircraft project was officially included in the national long-term scientific and technological development plan. Yun-20 aircraft was established in 2007, and it took 9 years to finally equip the troops. Yun -20 is based on the design of Il -76 transport aircraft, but it is larger, has stronger carrying capacity and has advanced electronic equipment. Its installation indicates that China Air Force has further improved its strategic delivery capability.
Air Force military expert Wang Mingzhi:In fact, during the development of large-scale transport aircraft, western countries blocked China from technology, because the development of large-scale transport aircraft is of strategic significance. We successfully developed this aircraft, which broke the tripartite confrontation between Boeing in the United States, Airbus in Europe and Il series in Russia. China also has our own brand in the development of large-scale transport aircraft.
"Fat Girl" Yun -20 intelligent large plane
Compared with the air force’s active transport aircraft, Yun -20′ s engine and electronic equipment have been greatly improved, with advanced airborne equipment, high degree of automation, humanized driving environment, good space for transporting fighters and strategic materials, loading and unloading platform, and excellent short runway take-off and landing performance. It can carry out long-distance air transportation tasks of various materials and personnel under complex meteorological conditions, with high reliability and safety.
Du Baolin, a division commander of the Air Force Transport Aviation Division:This plane can be said to be a smart plane. If you do the right thing, it will recognize you. If you do something wrong, it will remind you in various ways. If you are reminded that you have not corrected it in time, it will protect you. You can really talk to people.
Yun-20 assembly is of strategic significance.
Yun-20 aircraft is equipped with air force, which is of strategic, symbolic and leading significance. It is of great significance to promote the modernization of China’s economy and national defense, respond to emergencies such as emergency rescue and humanitarian relief, and improve the strategic delivery capability of the Air Force and the ability of the China Army to fulfill its mission.
Zhang Huawei, a division commander of the Air Force Aviation Division:As a platform for large aircraft, it has developed very rapidly in recent years, and we are also very happy. Especially now, officers and men are looking forward to converting a platform like Yun -20 into a new type of early warning aircraft in the future. We all look forward to this day as soon as possible.
Yun -20 will soon form combat effectiveness.
Yun -20 will soon form combat effectiveness, which can rapidly improve the overall combat capability of the Air Force, accelerate the strategic transformation process of the China Air Force, and accumulate valuable experience for future equipment development and use.
Air Force military expert Wang Mingliang:Generally speaking, it is the air force that can take on great responsibilities for the country and do great things. In order to do great things, the size of weapons and equipment must have enough such a quality. The airplane is big, the load can be large, and the voyage can be long. It plays an increasingly prominent role. Therefore, a large airplane can be said to be the symbolic equipment foundation and material foundation of the strategic air force. Therefore, with the development of our national aviation industry in the future, the development and equipment use of our large airplane will definitely achieve updated achievements, which will definitely strongly support our goal of building a first-class strategic air force.