Peoples Liberation Army Air Force

PLA Air Force Order of Battle

[PLAAF, PLA Aviation Corps & PLA Civil Air Guard
(Excluding Most Light Planes)]

Last Updated on 21 Mar 2000
By Sidney Trevethan

Source XLS Spreadsheet

This is based on British sources. It differs significantly from IISS data in that it is more complete. However, it leaves out numerous small types and it is based on machine counts rather than operational status reports. Some of these assets are probably not usable. Some are actually for sale. Some may be/have been transferred to the PLANAF -- notably a couple of hundred J-7 seem to have changed hands and that may imply more will follow. Some data is based on industry sources, mainly with respect to future production. There are also certainly significant omissions of training aircraft, but what these are is unknown.

Model	Type	AC/FLT	Total in Service for Spring of Year											Total in Service for Campaign
			2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	East MR
A-4	AEW [An-12AEW]	1	2	4	6	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	0
A-50	AEW [Il-76AEW]	1	1	2	4	6	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	0
AS-332	VIP Transport Helicopter	8	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	5	5	5	5	0
B-747	Jumbo Jet Transport	1	14	14	14	14	14	13	13	13	13	13	13	0
CJ-6	Primary Trainer/Utility	4	990	980	970	960	950	940	930	920	910	900	890	144
Bell-214	Utility Helicopter	8	4	4	4	4	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
FC-1	Multi-Role Fighter	4	0	0	15	36	56	76	96	116	140	150	149	0
H-5	Light Bomber [Il-28]	4	200	175	150	130	110	90	60	40	30	0	0	50
H-5M	ASM Bomber [Il-28]	4	49	49	48	48	47	47	46	46	45	45	44	24
H-6	Medium Bomber [Tu-16]	3	100	80	60	40	25	20	15	10	0	0	0	20
H-9	ASM Bomber	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	6	12	18	24	0
H-10	ASM Bomber [Tu-22M]	2	0	0	0	6	12	18	24	24	24	24	24	0
HJ-5	Bomber Trainer [Il-28]	4	40	40	39	39	38	38	37	37	36	36	36	0
HZ-5	Reconnaissance [Il-28]	1	40	40	40	40	30	25	25	25	25	25	25	20
Il-18	Medium Transport	2	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	0
Il-76	Medium Jet Transport	1	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	0
J-5	All Weather Fighter [Nt. 8]	4	300	270	240	210	180	150	120	90	60	30	0	0
J-6B	All Weather Fighter	4	375	365	355	345	335	325	315	305	295	265	235	132
J-6C	Day Fighter [MiG-19]	4	1125	1000	875	750	625	500	375	250	125	0	0	288
J-7 II	Day Fighter [MiG-21]	4	125	100	75	50	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	48
J-7 III	All Weather Fighter	4	125	115	105	95	85	75	65	55	45	0	0	48
J-7E	All Weather Fighter	4	250	260	270	268	266	264	262	260	258	256	254	84
J-7M	All Weather Fighter	4	200	220	240	270	300	298	296	294	292	290	288	0
J-8 I	Day Fighter	4	99	98	97	96	95	94	93	92	91	90	89	50
J-8 II	All Weather Fighter	4	151	171	180	190	189	188	187	186	185	184	183	36
J-8 III	All Weather Fighter	4	0	5	15	25	45	65	85	105	125	145	165	0
J-10	Multi-Role Fighter	4	0	15	36	56	76	96	116	140	184	204	234	0
J-11	Long Range Fighter	4	130	164	203	242	290	305	304	303	302	301	300	48
J-12	Multi-Role Fighter	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	19	37	0
J-13	Multi-Role Fighter [Note 1]	4	0	0	20	40	60	75	115	155	195	235	260	0
JH-7	ASM Attack	4	0	20	40	41	41	41	41	40	40	40	40	0
JH-7 II	ASM Attack	4	0	0	0	10	30	46	60	80	100	120	150	0
JJ-5	Advanced Trainer	4	100	99	98	97	96	86	76	66	56	36	0	0
JJ-6	Advanced Trainer	4	150	149	148	147	146	145	144	143	142	141	120	40
JJ-7	Advanced Trainer	4	50	60	70	80	90	100	110	120	119	118	117	12
JJ-8	Advanced Trainer	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	12	22	42	0
JJ-11	Advanced Trainer	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	10	10	10	10	10	2
JJ-12	Advanced Trainer	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	0
JZ-6	Reconnaissance Fighter	4	100	99	98	97	96	95	80	65	50	25	0	25
JZ-7	Reconnaissance Fighter	4	0	0	0	0	6	21	36	51	66	81	100	0
K-8	Basic Jet Trainer	4	25	40	55	70	85	100	115	135	155	160	170	0
L-6	Tanker [Tu-16]	1	0	20	40	60	75	74	73	72	71	70	69	0
L-8	Tanker [An-12]	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	0	0	0
Mi-8	Assault Transport Helo	4	55	55	55	55	55	55	55	55	55	55	55	25
Mi-17	Assault Transport Helo	3	75	80	85	90	95	100	105	110	115	120	125	25
S-70	Utility/Transport Helo	7	22	22	22	21	21	21	20	20	20	20	20	22
SA-321	Hv. Xpt. Helo [Spr. Frelon]	4	75	74	73	72	71	70	68	66	64	62	60	24
SA-365	Md. Xpt. Helo [Dauphin]	12	58	57	56	55	54	53	53	51	50	49	48	24
Q-5	ASM Attack [MiG-19]	4	400	370	340	310	280	250	215	180	170	160	150	180
Trident	Medium Jet Transport	1	33	33	33	33	31	31	31	31	31	31	30	0
Y-5	Stealth Transport [An-2]	12	600	600	600	600	600	600	600	600	600	600	600	150
Y-7	Light Transport [An-24]	2	100	105	110	115	120	125	124	123	122	121	120	25
Y-8	Medium Transport [An-12]	1	100	105	110	115	120	125	124	123	122	121	120	0
Y-11	Light Transport	12	15	15	15	15	14	14	14	14	13	13	13	0
Y-12	Light Transport	12	2	7	12	17	22	27	32	37	42	42	42	0
Z-5	Utility Helicopter	8	200	175	150	125	100	75	50	25	0	0	0	25
Z-6	Utility Helicopter	8	100	99	98	97	96	95	94	93	92	91	90	36
Z-9	Utility Helicopter	10	108	113	118	123	128	132	140	148	156	164	172	0
Z-11	Light Training Helicopter	na	30	35	40	45	50	55	60	65	70	75	80	0
Z-12	Transport Helicopter	2	0	0	0	1	6	11	16	21	26	31	36	0
Attack	Total Bombers:		749	694	638	585	545	512	463	426	421	407	432	274
Fighters	Total Fighters:		2880	2783	2726	2673	2602	2511	2429	2351	2303	2169	2194	734
Helos	Total Helicopters:		703	691	679	666	654	637	621	603	587	596	605	145
Recon.	Total Recon:		143	145	148	151	148	157	157	157	157	147	141	45
Trainers	Total Trainers:		1390	1409	1427	1446	1464	1474	1482	1498	1510	1500	1469	198
Transpt.	Total Transports/Tankers:		914	944	974	1005	1032	1045	1047	1049	1050	1050	1051	175
Total	Aircraft Total:		6781	6667	6592	6525	6443	6333	6201	6091	6040	5881	5904	1607
Note 1: J-13 is the Su-30. Note 2: J-8 series and Q-5 may refuel from PLAAF tankers. Note 3: The standard regiment has 3 squadrons of 12 aircraft. However, up to half of fighter squadrons of any given type may have 4 squadrons of 12 aircraft. Some regiments of large bombers and other non-standard aircraft have 2 or 3 squadrons of fewer than 10 aircraft. Note 4: All J-6, JZ-6, JJ-6 & Q-5 may base interchangably. Note 5: All J-7, JZ-7 & JJ-7 may base interchangably. Note 6: All J-8 & JJ-8 may base interchangably. Note 7: All J-5, JZ-5 & JJ-5 may base interchangably. Note 8: J-5 units are reserve (but veteran) MiG-17 units. Note 9: One Mi-8 regiment attached to 31st. Infantry Division (Combined Arms), one regiment PLAAF. Note 10: The Z-9 is the Dauphis 2 As-365N. Note 11: The Z-10 is the Super Frelon. Note 12: The Z-11 is the Eurocil (includes SA-342).