Timeline
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Intro
November 11, 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PLA Air Force (PLAAF). Over the past 70 years, in line with the strategic requirements of integrating air and space capabilities as well as coordinating offensive and defensive operations, the PLAAF is accelerating the transition of its tasks from territorial air defense to both offensive and defensive operations.
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Mar 1946
March 1, 1946, the Aviation School of the Northeast Democratic United Army, the first aviation school of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), was founded in Tonghua despite numerous difficulties.
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Nov 1949
November 11, 1949, the PLAAF Command was established at No.14 Legation Street (Dong Jiao Min Xiang), Beijing, and the air force officially became a PLA service.
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Mar 1950
March 1950, to support the PLA Army in entering Tibet, PLAAF pilots flew outdated transport planes to the “no-fly zone” over the Kangzang Plateau without a chart or landmark, and blazed out 25 routes by November 1952.
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July 1953
The fledgling PLAAF debuted on the world stage during the Korean War and fought courageously against the superb US air force with 1.3:1 ratio.
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July 1956
July 19, 1956, the first-generation jet fighter J-5 independently produced by China had a successful maiden flight at an airport in northeast China.
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July 1958
July 1958, PLAAF’s aviation force fought in Fujian Province and seized air supremacy over the Taiwan Strait from the KMT air force.
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Aug 1958
August 27, 1958, primary propeller-driven training plane CJ-6 independently developed by China had a successful maiden flight.
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Oct 1959
October 7, 1959, a US reconnaissance plane was shot down by China’s SA-2 missile in the airspace of Beijing when it was spying on China's "two bombs and one satellite" project.
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Nov 1959
November 25, 1959, the "1125" program was established with the approval of then Premier Zhou Enlai, marking the beginning of the PLAAF automatic command system.
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May 1965
May 14, 1965, China used the Tu-16 bomber to drop its first air-blast atomic bomb. The successful test marked a start on the development of nuclear weapon delivery.
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Aug 1965
August 1965, PLAAF dispatched the first batch of anti-aircraft artillery troops to Vietnam, where they fought against massive attacks by American troops, making great contributions to the national liberation of Vietnam.
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June 1967
June 27, 1967, the HQ-2 air defense missile was successfully developed.
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July 1969
July 5, 1969, the prototype of J-8 made a successful maiden flight, indicating that the Chinese aviation industry had begun its independent design and R&D.
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June 1971
June 10, 1971, China's first early warning aircraft KJ-1 made its maiden flight, making China the 4th country in the world to own such a plane after the US, the Soviet Union and the UK.
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Sept 1981
September 14 to 18, 1981, PLAAF and then Beijing Military Area Command held a largest-scale live-fire defensive exercise under modern conditions in north China.
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Mar 1996
March 18-25, 1996, in order to warn separatist elements of "Taiwan independence", the PLA Nanjing Military Area Command organized a joint exercise participated by the PLA Army, Navy and Air Force in the Taiwan Strait.
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Mar 1998
March 23, 1998, the first prototype of J-10, China’s first independently-developed third-generation warplane, made its maiden flight at Wenjiang airport in Chengdu. It is the most legendary fighter in the history of PLAAF
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Apr 2003
April 29, 2003, the Z-10 armed helicopter, the first of its kind independently developed by China, made its maiden flight in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province.
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Aug 2007
August 2007, the PLAAF went abroad in complete units and on a large scale for the first time to participate in the "Peace Mission 2007" joint drill sponsored by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
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May 2008
May 14, 2008, 15 paratroopers dropped from the altitude of 4,999m with no meteorological information, ground indication, and commanding and guidance to rescue victims during Sichuan earthquake.
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Jan 2011
January 11, 2011, the prototype of the new-generation heavy stealth fighter J-20 independently developed by China had a successful maiden flight in Chengdu.
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Jan 2013
January 2013, the Y-20 transport plane independently developed by China had a successful maiden flight, marking a critical step forward in enhancing the PLAAF’s strategic projection capability.
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Nov 2013
November 23, 2013, China announced to delimit the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) that included the Diaoyu Islands.
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Mar 2015
March 30, 2015, March 30, 2015, PLAAF’s H-6K flew over the Bashi Strait for far-sea training in the West Pacific for the first time.
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Oct 1, 2019
October 1, 2019, the PLAAF participated in the grand military parade in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
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Oct 17, 2019
October 17 to 21, 2019, an open house event celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of PLAAF was held in Changchun.
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