China’s air force overhauls college training in combat-readiness mission
- Classes and content have been rejigged at various academies to meet modern military needs
- Logistics, drones and joint operations still areas for improvement, analysts say
Military mouthpiece PLA Daily reported on Tuesday that the Air Force Logistics University in the eastern city of Xuzhou had altered its teaching curriculum, cutting classes and content not related directly to the two areas.
The report did not say what classes were cut but they were replaced with courses like emergency planning.
Another PLA Daily report in 2020 said the university had changed more than 20 courses to skill personnel in dealing with combat conditions, such as being able to spot and fix mechanical failures under fire.
A similar shift was under way last year at the PLA Air Force Command College in Beijing, with greater emphasis given to joint operations and on-the-ground training.
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The Tuesday report cited an unnamed Air Force Logistics University officer as saying the change of curriculum was designed to focus on training for war.
The following year, President Xi Jinping urged the air force to speed up the training of new combat forces.
The air force has dramatically modernised itself over the past year, and has deployed an increasing number of advanced military planes to sensitive places like the Taiwan Strait.
However, experts said more changes to training were needed.
Song Zhongping, a military analyst and former PLA instructor, said it was imperative for the Chinese air force to learn how to coordinate with other forces and conduct joint operations.
“Also, incorporating drones to improve strike abilities is also a key to winning battles in the future,” Song said.
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Zhou Chenming, a researcher from the Yuan Wang military science and technology think tank, said the air force still struggled with logistics, and personnel had to learn how to improve support for fighters.
“China can now produce advanced aircraft like the J-20, however, the number of quality personnel to fly transport aircraft and oil tankers is limited. This can dampen the Chinese air force’s ability to project power,” Zhou said.
According to the China Military Power Report published by the US Defence Department, the Chinese air force, with more than 2,800 aircraft, is the biggest in the region and the third largest in the world.
The report said China was rapidly catching up with Western air forces, as it continued to modernise with the delivery of domestically built aircraft and a wide range of drones.
