Chinese air force's fighter units become strong contingent: expert

Ahead of the 90th anniversary of the formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), military experts have been discussing the development of the various divisions over the years.

China's air force, which was non-existent when the PLA was first formed in 1927, has grown to become one of the major components of China's Defense sector.

Chinese air force expert Wang Mingliang says Chinese-developed air technology has seen significant advancements in China's air force in recent years.

"Before we carried out the transformation, which was before the 1990s, our fighters were mainly the first generation fighters. But now the scale of our third generation fighters taking the lead gives us a major advantage. We not only have the third-generation fighters but are moving forward to the fourth generation. We also have new types of surface-to-air missiles, new types air-to-air missiles and a series of other new weapons, including new types of unmanned aerial vehicles. We have now mastered these state-of-the-art achievements in the military aviation field," said Wang.  

The PLA air force began developing during the Korean War from 1950.

Today, the J-15 fighter jet, which is China's first carrier-based fighter jet, is considered one of the most advanced military aircraft in the world.