ABSTRACT
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has been the world’s third largest—after those of the US and USSR—with 4700 aircraft in its inventory. The ground-based air defense system also has serious weaknesses. The Air Force Academies Department is in charge of the Peking Aviation Institute, twelve aviation academies, and thirteen technical aviation schools. The core of the system is the radar-guided surface-to-air missile. One responsibility which was thrust on the air force in 1967—control of civil aviation—remained a military duty until the mid-1970s. Even more than the air force, the People’s Liberation Army Navy is defensive in nature. Its warships do not range far outside of Chinese territorial waters; its submarines have never been known to take extended voyages. The military capabilities of the PLAAF have grown markedly in absolute terms over the last decade.
