Space to be the next frontier for China's air force
The PLA's airborne wing has been told to regroup and push new aeronautical limits but one big technological challenge bars the way
When the wraps came off the J-31 stealth fighter at the Zhuhai air show yesterday, there was double cause for celebration for the People's Liberation Army Air Force. It not only marked the public debut of the country's the fifth-generation stealth fighter, it represented the progress China has made in the 65 years since its air force first got off the ground.
The J-31 is just one of a series of fighter jets to roll off mainland military production lines in recent years. Despite the advances there remains one gaping hole in China's winged military industrial complex - one that could stop it from realising the next mission set for it by the highest echelons of power.
Whatever their individual missions, the various jets fighters and aerial drones are building blocks for China's aim to push the next frontier - space.
In June, President Xi Jinping , who is also chairman of the PLA Central Military Commission (CMC), told the air force to upgrade and accelerate its integration with the country's space programme to keep up with what was the main goal of advanced air forces around the world, Xinhua reported. Xi said the air force had to complete the integration within five years, allowing China to showcase the achievement on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the people's republic.
Watch: China's Zhuhai airshow takes off, J-31 fighter makes debut