Modernizing China’s Air Force

China, Asia's 'stirring dragon, ' has the world's third largest air force in total number of aircraft and, in recent years, has slowly started to modernize it. This force structure modernization is a reflection of China's history, strategy, and budget limitations. Therefore, this paper examines the People's Liberation Army Air Force's (PLAAF) historical foundation, its strategy and the force structure it is building. A general comparison of the PLAAF's planned capabilities given three conflict scenarios provides evidence that the PLAAF's modernization direction is sound and is consistent with both its strategy and limited budget.

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