China should build a mighty air force

The PLA Air Force gives a flying performance of the J-10 fighter at the 7th Zhuhai Air Show on November 5, 2008.

In the 21st Century, the security threat in the air and space becomes the main threat to a state. And the capacity in the air and space has become an important indicator to assess the power of a state. Military experts pointed out that as a strategic force for a big country, the Air Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) should adapt to the tendency of the development of the times, accelerate the force transformation, form a new outlook on space, safeguard the air and space defense line with foresighted eagle strike strategy , forge an air force suiting China's position and strategic demand, and ensure that the national interests and security in the air and space are effectively safeguarded.

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PLA Air Force, the reporter interviewed some experts and scholars on the topic of new outlook on space is wanted in the era of air and space .

Military development is the basic guarantee to the development of a state. In the future development of the country and in the competition of military strength in air and space, the air force as the representative of military strength will stand at the fore. Ji Yan, deputy director of the Strategy Study Office of the PLA Air Force Command College, held that to make efforts to raise the air force's ability of using space and controlling space has become the basic function and core mission for the future strategy of the air forces of all big powers around the world.

Ji Yan introduced, using space to control space is the functional extension of the using air to control air of the traditional air force, which means to get and maintain the control over the space environment under the support of the space force. The Schriever space exercise that is held biennially in the U.S. is a vivid display of the ability of the air and space force in using space to control space in the future.

Besides, the mode of building integrated air and space force with the air force as the mainstay has become the option of the air forces of most big powers at present. Getting access to the air and space, paying attention to the air and space, developing and utilizing the air and space are a showcase of the comprehensive national strength and also the common responsibility of all people.

Dong Wenxian, researcher of a department of the PLA Air Force, held that to well develope and utilize the air and space field needs integrated efforts from such departments as politics, diplomacy, economy, science and technology, education, culture, industry, law, society and military, and no success can be achieved without the participation of any one department.

The air force is the military delegation of a state in the air and space field and the main force to get the right of controlling the air and space, noted Dong Wenxian, "to concern and support the construction and development of the air force is an important aspect of the nationwide air and space construction". The Chinese PLA Air Force is an important part of China s armed forces and it represents, safeguards and protects the air and space interests of China in military field.

As to the air force construction and development, Xu Yan, professor of the National Defense University (NDU), said that a strong air force needs to be built by raising greatly the development level of China s civilian and military aviation industry and by improving all-roundly the performance of the air force's equipment in operations.

Xu Yan said that only 7 countries in the world can independently develop fighters and launch satellite, while only the U.S., West Europe combo and Russia can develop large-sized aircraft. Advanced large-sized passenger aircraft is the fruit of the high technologies of a state. Although the technology is not as advanced as that for missile and spaceship, it requires higher mechanical and electrical level and better manufacturing technology.

In the world, military and civilian airplanes are generally developing in parallel for the healthy development of the aviation industry, e.g. both Boeing and Tupolev are producing large-sized bombers and civilian carriers and common technology is also used. Only in this way, can a favorable interaction be realized between economic development and military demand.

Currently, to produce large-sized passenger and cargo aircraft is an important way which concerns not only the scrambling for domestic civil aviation market whose turnover is increasing day by day, but also whether the development of military aircraft in China can shake off the current consumption model of being wholly invested by the state and finally get into a stage of interaction of the military-civilian technology that meets the demand of market economy.

(Translated by China Military Online)