Editing People's Liberation Army (section)

==== Air Force ====
[[File:J-20 at Airshow China 2016.jpg|thumb|A [[Chengdu J-20]] [[Fifth-generation jet fighter|5th generation]] stealth fighter]]
{{Main|People's Liberation Army Air Force}}

The 395,000 strong People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) was organized into five Theatre Command Air Forces (TCAF) and 24 air divisions.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=International Institute for Strategic Studies |author-link=International Institute for Strategic Studies |year=2018 |title=Chapter Six: Asia |journal=The Military Balance |language=en |publisher=[[Routledge]] |volume=118 |issue=1 |pages=261–265 |doi=10.1080/04597222.2018.1416982 |issn=0459-7222}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=249–259}} {{As of|2024}}, the system has been changed into 11 [[Grades of the People's Liberation Army|Corps Deputy-grade]] "Bases" controlling air brigades.<ref name=":10" /> Divisions have been mostly converted to brigades,<ref name=":10">{{Cite book |last=Trevethan |first=Lawrence |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1082606.pdf |title="Brigadization" of the PLA Air Force |date=2018 |website=Defense Technical Information Center |publisher=China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI) |isbn=978-1718721159 |pages=1–3 |access-date=2024-05-16 |archive-date=3 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903134547/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1082606.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>  although some (specifically the Bomber divisions, and some of the special mission units)<ref>{{Cite book |last=International Institute for Strategic Studies |author-link=International Institute for Strategic Studies |title=The Military Balance 2024 |date=2024-02-12 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-003-48583-4 |edition=1 |location=London |pages=261–265 |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781003485834}}</ref> remain operational as divisions. The largest operational units within the Aviation Corps is the air division, which has 2 to 3 aviation regiments, each with 20 to 36 aircraft. An Air Brigade has from 24 to 50 aircraft.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Dragon's Wing: The People's Liberation Army Air Force's Strategy > Air University (AU) > Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs Article Display |url=https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/JIPA/Display/Article/3111108/the-dragons-wing-the-peoples-liberation-army-air-forces-strategy/ |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=www.airuniversity.af.edu |date=August 2022 |archive-date=22 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822012050/https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/JIPA/Display/Article/3111108/the-dragons-wing-the-peoples-liberation-army-air-forces-strategy/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The surface-to-air missile (SAM) Corps is organized into SAM [[division (military)|divisions]] and [[brigade]]s. There are also three airborne [[15th Airborne Corps|divisions]] manned by the PLAAF. [[J-XX]] and XXJ are names applied by Western intelligence agencies to describe programs by the People's Republic of China to develop one or more [[Fifth generation jet fighter|fifth-generation]] [[fighter aircraft]].<ref name="JDW">Chang 2002</ref><ref name="miltech">Coniglio 2006, P.44</ref> The PLAAF is led by Commander [[Chang Dingqiu]] and Political Commissar [[Guo Puxiao]].<ref>{{cite news |author1=Marcus, Clay |author2=Rod, Lee |date=24 September 2021 |title=Star General Chang Dingqiu Takes Command of China's Air Force |work=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |url=https://thediplomat.com/2021/09/star-general-chang-dingqiu-takes-command-of-chinas-air-force/ |access-date=9 October 2021 |archive-date=27 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927091518/https://thediplomat.com/2021/09/star-general-chang-dingqiu-takes-command-of-chinas-air-force/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=22 January 2022 |title=[军事报道]张又侠在出席中央军委纪委扩大会议时强调 坚决贯彻全面从严治党战略方针 深入做好新时代军队纪检监察工作 |language=zh |trans-title=[Military Report] Zhang Youxia, when attending the enlarged meeting of the Disciplinary Commission of the Central Military Commission, emphasized that we must resolutely implement the strategic policy of strictly governing the party in an all-round way and do a good job in the military discipline inspection and supervision work in the new era. |work=<nowiki>[[China Central Television]</nowiki> |url=https://tv.cctv.com/2022/01/22/VIDEGvAYf6VkuhyfCN3YHBPZ220122.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122134924/https://tv.cctv.com/2022/01/22/VIDEGvAYf6VkuhyfCN3YHBPZ220122.shtml |archive-date=22 January 2022}}</ref>