Surprise of the day: Z-21 Heavy Attack Helicopter in PLAAF numbers

"The new PLA Z-21 heavy attack helicopter has long been expected to enter service with the PLA Ground Force’s Army Aviation (LH)units, in line with the introduction of other recent helicopter models. However, another photo showing a Z-21 bearing PLAAF serial numbers (6232) and camouflage suggests that the aircraft is instead joining the Helicopter Regiment of the 130th Air-Assault Brigade, 15th Airborne Corps, under the PLAAF,  a rather surprising development. Although not widely publicized, the PLAAF does maintain one organic air-assault brigade equipped with helicopter units under its command.

 

 

Monday, July 14, 2025

Photo Of The Day: Z-21 heavy attack chiopper with millimeter-wave fire-control radar (FCR)

 

Sunday, December 08, 2024

CG Of The Day: Z-21 Heavy Attack Helicopter with Millimeter-wave AESA phased array mast fire control radar

 CG Credit, of course, goes to 大包CG

 

Sunday, March 10, 2019

Confirmed, the new PLAAF airborne brigade has an organic chopper regiment

Helicopter Regiment, 130th Air-Assault Brigade, 15th Airborne

A WZ-10 attack helicopter attached to a helicopter regiment with a PLA airborne brigade lifts off from the parking apron of an airbase for a round-the-clock flight training mission on March 6, 2019. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Deng Xiaoning)
 http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2019-03/08/content_9444969.htm

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

PLAAF Airborne's new assault brigade

12 months after the last great PLA orbat reform, CCTV airs its first report on PLAAF's assault brigade thus confirming its existence.   Source (here)

央视网消息：作为国防和军队改革后组建的新质作战力量，日前，组建刚刚一年的空军空降兵某空中突击旅首次亮相练兵场，开展多机型伞降训练和空地协同训练，迈开了由传统伞降部队向多能空中突击部队转型的坚实步伐

Saturday, April 29, 2017

15th Airborne Corps' new ORBAT

The CMC decommissioned three divisional headquarters (43rd, 44th and 45th) on April 19th,  their regiments are now reformed into 6 brigades (127th, 128th, 130th, 131st, 133rd, and 134th) directly under the corps headquarters .   Additionally,  there will be a new SpOps Brigade , a Strategic Support Brigade (Engineering, Communication, etc) and an Aviation Brigade(Fixed And Rotary Wing Aircraft) bringing to a total of 9 line brigades. 

Sunday, January 19, 2014

PR Photos of the day: Vertical assault of an PLAAF airborne battalion combined arms battlegroup

Monday, January 18, 2010

15th Airborne Corps (ABC) is testing their vertical envelopment/air mobility capability

The 15th ABC's organic helicopter regiment was first revealed during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake rescue work and then by a high profile fly-by during the 60th national day celebration.

It is now time for the 15th to test its newly found air mobility assault capability in a large military exercise. The advantage of air mobile assault over airdrop are many: ranging from entire unit delivery in one place--which immediately allows combat-readiness, precision resupply landings, to on-station fire support from helicopter gunships. In time, it will be interesting to see if a small portion of the 15th ABC will be converted into air-cavalry to enhance the corps' mission profile.

 

Family photo of the day: 6th Landing Ship Flotilla, Southern Theater Command Navy, Dec 1st

Since our last update on the 6th Landing Ship Flotilla of the Southern Theater Command Navy, the unit has commissioned an additional Type 075 landing helicopter dock, Hubei (34), into its table of organization and equipment (TOE). This formidable amphibious formation now fields a total of two Type 075 LHDs and five Type 071 LPDs making it the largest and most capable landing ship flotilla within the PLAN.

 

unday, April 20, 2025

6th Landing Ship Flotilla, Southern Theater Command Navy, Heads To Swim

"Million Man Swim" The Next Generation 

The PLAN's 6th Landing Ship Flotilla homes five of the eight Type 071 amphibious transport docks (LPDs) currently in service with the PLA Navy. These include: 985 Qilian Shan, 987 Wuzhi Shan, 989 Changbai Shan, 998 Kunlun Shan, and 999 Jinggang Shan. Additionally, it also homes both Type 075 amphibious assault ships, 31 Hainan and 32 Guangxi commissioned into the PLAN. This combination makes the 6th Landing Ship Flotilla the most powerful amphibious unit within the PLAN.

Recently, the 6th Landing Ship Flotilla conducted one of the largest amphibious exercises in PLA history. The operation featured One Type 075 amphibious assault ship,  31 Hainan, five Type 071 amphibious transport docks, and a Type 901 replenishment ship. The following video is from that exercise off the coast of Hainan Island.

 

Sunday, January 28, 2018

This is a drill

This seemingly staged PR photo shoot is actually a kick off ceremony for yet another amphibious assault drill.  After being sent off by Xi, the 1st PLAN Smurfs Brigade, together with the 6th Landing Ship Flotilla, South Sea Fleet "liberated" a tiny island in a drill.  No big deal, just another glorious day in the corps!

 

Photo Of The Day: PLAAF Su-35 of The PLAAF 6th Aviation Brigade

The PLAAF acquired 24 Su-35E fighters in a $2 billion deal signed in November 2015. With a ferry range of 4,500 km or 600 km greater than the J-16’s 3,900 km, the Su-35E is particularly well-suited for extended patrols over the vast expanse of the South China Sea. Indeed, this is precisely how the PLAAF has been employing the aircraft, as showed by the photo below.

No follow-on orders were placed beyond the initial batch of 24. As for the reasons behind this decision, your guess is as good as mine

 

Wednesday, February 07, 2018

PR photos of the day:Su-35 "Flanker-E" patrols over South China Sea

24 Su-35  "Flanker-E" were procured for about 2 Billion USD in Nov 2015 with first batch delivered to the Chinese air force in late 2016.  Second batch arrived in China December 22, 2017.

Photo source in Chinese (here)

China's Air Force part of joint patrol over S China Sea

http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2018-02/08/content_7936954.htm

Source:  China Daily
Editor:  Zhang Tao

Time:  2018-02-08

The Chinese air force recently sent its Su-35 fighter jets to take part in a joint combat patrol over the South China Sea. [Photo/Weibo of the Air Force]


The Chinese air force recently sent its Su-35 fighter jets to take part in a joint combat patrol over the South China Sea, the air force said in a release on Wednesday afternoon.

This is the first time the People's Liberation Army Air Force has made public the deployment of its Su-35s, built by Russia's Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association and introduced to China in late 2016. The air force did not reveal when the patrol took place.

The release said the multirole fighter jet's participation in combat exercises will help strengthen the air force's long-range operational capability.

The air force will continue pushing forward training to improve combat capabilities, it said.

Officials from Russia's state technology corporation Rostec said in November 2015 that Russia and China signed a contract that was estimated to be worth $2 billion for 24 Su-35s. The deal was later confirmed by Wu Qian, a spokesman for of the Chinese Defense Ministry.

The PLA's official website, 81.cn, previously said Su-35s started to be delivered to China in December 2016.

Russian news agency TASS said that as one of Russia's most advanced fighter jets, the Su-35 is equipped with phased array antenna radar and thrust vectoring engines. It has a maximum speed of 2,500 km per hour and is able to fly 3,400 km without refueling, according to TASS. The fighter is armed with a 30-mm gun and can carry 12 bombs or missiles, the report said.

Tuesday, April 03, 2018

Range matters

Once again, PLAAF's H-6K fleet is venturing to the South China Sea to conduct another "routine" patrol with the newly imported Su-35 as escort.   J-16's ferry range is reported to be 3,900 KM vs Su-35's 4,500 KM.

Bombers, jets hone skills over South China Sea, western Pacific
http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2018-03/26/content_7983206.htm

The People's Liberation Army Air Force recently conducted combat exercises over the western Pacific Ocean and South China Sea, according to its spokesman, Senior Colonel Shen Jinke.

Shen said on Sunday that a group of aircraft including H-6K bombers and Su-30 fighter jets flew over the Miyako Strait earlier last week and then carried out combat training over the western Pacific to verify their long-range operational capabilities.

At the same time, another group of H-6Ks, Su-35 fighter jets and other aircraft conducted a joint combat patrol over the South China Sea, practicing aerial maneuvers and strike tactics at sea, he said in a statement published by the Air Force.
The PLA Air Force has become adept at organizing sophisticated joint operations and is able to safeguard the country's sovereignty, national security and interests, Shen said.

This is the second time the PLA Air Force has sent its Su-35s－built by Russia's Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association and introduced to China in late 2016－to take part in exercises over the South China Sea. The first was in early February.

Photos released by the Air Force showed air-launched cruise missiles under the wings of the H-6K bombers participating in the exercises.

The H-6K is the PLA's most advanced bomber and is capable of carrying supersonic cruise missiles to make precision strikes against land targets or ships. Foreign military observers said that the plane has a flight range of about 3,500 kilometers, while its cruise missile has a minimum range of 1,500 km, which means the bomber is able to hit targets at least 5,000 km from its takeoff point.

A news release published by Japan's Joint Staff on Friday said that in addition to bombers and fighter jets the Chinese Air Force had dispatched a Tupolev Tu-154 signal intelligence jet and a Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft to participate in the western Pacific training exercise.

The Air Force began performing long-range, ocean-bound drills in March 2015 and has organized dozens of such operations since then.

Fu Qianshao, an expert from the PLA Air Force, said that ocean-bound exercises verify not only the Air Force's long-distance combat capability, but also its logistics support and electronic warfare abilities.

According to the Air Force, China is developing a new-generation strategic bomber that will be much stronger than the H-6K. Analysts believe the new aircraft will have a range of at least 10,000 km, enough to perform intercontinental missions.