PLA Air Force celebrates 75th anniversary at Airshow China 2024, with J-35A, HQ-19 debut

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force will celebrate its 75th anniversary on Monday, with the air force debuting some of its most advanced weapons, including the J-35A medium-sized stealth fighter, the HQ-19 surface-to-air missile weapon system and a new attack reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle at the biennial Airshow China in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province.

Military expert Song Zhongping said the Chinese air force becomes a strategic power today with its series of advanced weapons, such as stealth fighter jets, large cargo aircraft, strategic bombers, early-warning aircraft, air defense systems and tanker aircraft. In the future, the air force might be able to have a new generation stealth strategic bomber as well. This means China will have a more comprehensive and powerful military strength to better safeguard its core interests, national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

J-35A, the super star of the air show this year, has attracted attention from world media and military enthusiasts that have made the trip to Zhuhai. With the official commissioning of the J-35A into the PLA Air Force, China becomes the world's second country to operate two types of stealth fighter jets, experts noted.
The heavy J-20 and the medium-sized J-35A can perform complementary roles in joint missions, Chinese military aviation expert Fu Qianshao told the Global Times. He noted that J-35A is likely to be less costly than J-20, so it can be produced in large numbers in a short period of time.

The PLA Air Force will bring 36 types of equipment for aerial flight demonstrations and ground static displays to showcase the development of its equipment in a comprehensive and close-up manner, the PLA Air Force announced on Tuesday at a press conference marking the 75th anniversary of its establishment and its participation in Airshow China 2024.

On the HQ-19, Fu said it is comparable to the US-made THAAD weapon system. The THAAD weapon system can intercept hostile ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere, and intercept targets at the upper levels of the atmosphere. The US relies on the Patriot air defense weapon system at the lower levels.

"The HQ-9B and HQ-19 have formed a similar system, capable of intercepting the middle and end of the missile in outer space, the upper atmosphere and the lower atmosphere. The official debut of the HQ-19 marked the construction of the PLA Air Force integrating air and space, both offensive and defensive, making significant achievements, and reaching a new level," Fu noted.

Apart from the new J-35A and HQ-19 stars, as well as a new attack reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle, the PLA Air Force also brought a series of aircrafts including fighter jets J-10C and J-16D EW, bomber H-6K, large cargo aircraft Y-20 and drones WZ-7 and WZ-10 to the air show.

One day ahead of its 75th birthday, the PLA Air Force released a video titled "For You" on Sunday to mark its achievements. According to the China Central Television military channel, the video released by the PLA Air Force shows the Y-20 tanker aircraft air refueling the early-warning aircraft KJ-500A. Chinese military expert Wang Mingzhi said the KJ-500A is a radar station in the air and also a hub of command chain, so the video proves that with the support from the Y-20 tanker aircraft, the combat capability of the early-warning air craft has been greatly improved.

The video also showed Y-20 cargo aircraft carrying a huge number of airborne troops to conduct an airborne missions at night. Wang said that this shows that, with the Y-20s, the PLA Air Force can now conduct massive airborne missions in all weather conditions.

Song told the Global Times on Sunday that "the PLA Air Force is a strategic air force that is armed with world-class advanced weapons, including stealth fighter jets J-20 and J-35A, strategic bomber H-6K, a series of early-warning air crafts such as KJ-2000 and KJ-500." He added that "we might be able to see a new generation stealth strategic bomber in the future. All these advancements make the PLA Air Force a powerful strength in the hand of China, able to deal with all external threats and safeguard its own national interests, especially its core interests."