Chinese army size and weapons. People's Liberation Army of China

The army of China, or as the Chinese themselves call it, the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) is the largest army in the world in terms of numbers. As of 2018, many military experts estimate the size of the Chinese army in different ways, since in recent years the Chinese army has been shrinking, relying not on quantity, but on the quality of weapons and military equipment. If we take the average number, it turns out that in the Chinese army there are from 2 to 2.3 million people who are in active service.

The Chinese army was founded on August 1, 1927 after the Nanchang uprising. In those years it was called the "Red Army". In the 30s of the 20th century, the Chinese army under the leadership of the Chinese leader Mao Zedong was already a serious organization, being a significant force in the country. In 1949, when the People's Republic of China was proclaimed, the Chinese army became the regular army of this state.

Although Chinese military law provides for compulsory military service, there are so many people who want to join the regular army in China that in all the years of the existence of the regular army, conscription has never been carried out. Military service in China is very honorable, in addition, it was the only opportunity for the peasants to break out of poverty. Volunteers in the Chinese army are accepted up to 49 years.

Chinese army in numbers

The PLA does not report directly to the party (as is believed in many European countries) or the government. To manage the army in China, there are 2 special commissions:

1. State Commission;
2. Party commission.

Most often, these commissions are completely identical in composition, so the commission that manages the Chinese army is mentioned in the singular.

To imagine the full power of the Chinese army, you need to turn to the numbers:

• The minimum age after which you can enter the army in China is 19;
• The number of military personnel is about 2.2 million;
• More than $215 billion is allocated annually to the Chinese army.

Although China's weapons are for the most part the legacy of the USSR or copies of Soviet models, the modernization of the Chinese army in recent years has been very rapid. There are new models of weapons that are not inferior to world analogues. If modernization continues at a similar pace, then in 10 years the weapons of the Chinese army will not be inferior to the weapons of the European armies, and in 15 years they can be compared with the power of the American army.

History of the emergence of the Chinese army

The history of the Chinese army began on August 1, 1927. It was in this year that the famous revolutionary Zhou Enlai provoked other Chinese revolutionaries to rise up in arms against the "northern" government, which in those years was the legitimate Chinese government.

By rallying 20,000 fighters in arms, the Chinese Communist Party initiated the long struggle of the Chinese people against external and internal enemies. July 11, 1933 is considered the date of birth of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. This date is still considered one of the most revered in China, it is celebrated by all the people of China.

Chinese army today

The modern People's Liberation Army of China has been significantly reduced, although compared to other armies in the world, its composition still looks very impressive. If earlier the main resource of the Chinese army were soldiers, and military equipment could be counted on the fingers, now the Chinese army includes all the components of modern armies:

• Ground troops;
• Air Force;
• Naval Forces;
• Strategic nuclear forces;
• Special forces and many other types of troops, without which it is difficult to imagine a modern army.

Every year, new models of intercontinental missiles and modern nuclear weapons appear in the arsenal of the Chinese army.

The nuclear forces of the Chinese army consist of land, sea and air components, which, according to official information, have about 200 nuclear launchers. Since information about the state of nuclear forces is kept secret by each country, one can be sure that China has many more nuclear carriers than it officially claims.

The strategic missile forces of the Chinese army have 75 ground-based ballistic missile launchers as their backbone. The strategic aviation of China's nuclear forces is composed of 80 Hong-6 aircraft. As a marine component, a nuclear submarine is used, which is armed with 12 launchers. Each of these installations can launch Julang-1 missiles. Although this type of rocket was first deployed in 1986, it is still considered an effective weapon.

The Chinese Ground Forces have the following resources:

• 2.2 million military personnel;
• 89 divisions, of which 11 are armored, and 3 are rapid response;
• 24 armies, which include these divisions.

The air force of the Chinese army includes about 4 thousand aircraft, most of which are obsolete models received from the USSR as military assistance or designed on their basis. Since 75% of the Chinese air fleet are fighters designed to solve combat missions in air defense. Chinese aviation is practically not designed to support the ground forces, although in recent years the situation has begun to improve.

China's naval forces are armed with about 100 large-sized warships, and about 600 combat helicopters and aircraft, which belong to naval aviation. To protect coastal waters, the Chinese Navy has 1,000 patrol ships.

Although many believe that China does not have its own aircraft carriers, the Chinese Navy currently has one Liaoning aircraft carrier in service, which was purchased from Ukraine for $25 million. The purchase of this unfinished aircraft carrier was quite interesting. Since the US was opposed to China buying the aircraft carrier, the Chinese firm purchased it as a floating amusement park. Upon arrival in China, the ship was completed and turned into a combat aircraft carrier, which, in principle, it was originally. Until 2020, China threatens to build 4 more aircraft carriers based on the Liaoning (formerly called the Varyag).

Modernization of the Chinese army

Although China develops new types of weapons every year, in the field of precision weapons, China still lags far behind other developed countries. The Chinese leadership believes that the future belongs to high-precision weapons, so China is investing billions in the development of this type of weapon.

To date, most joint projects between China and Russia are working, for which various agreements have been concluded that affect the following nuances:

• Military technology and development of new weapons that can be shared;
• The field of study of high technologies that can be used for both peaceful and military purposes;
• Space cooperation, which includes various joint programs;
• Cooperation in the field of communications.

In addition, China has received a number of advantages, which include:

• Implementation of joint Chinese-Russian projects, especially military ones;
• Possibility of training and retraining of their employees in Russia;
• Joint modernization of obsolete weapons and their replacement with newer models.

Such cooperation undoubtedly increases the speed of modernization of the Chinese army, although the United States does not like it very much, which fears the possibility of strengthening the Chinese army. Recent years have been marked by an ever-increasing number of contracts between China and Russia related to the acquisition by China of various types of military equipment. The most significant are:

• License for the production of SU-27 fighter jets in China;
• Contract for the repair of Chinese submarines in Russian repair docks.

If we analyze the development of China's defense complex over the past 10 years, it becomes clear that China over the years has not only stepped far forward in terms of the country's economic development, but also in terms of modernizing the army.

Current Defense Priorities in China

Since in recent years China has completely changed its military doctrine, which is now not related to the preparation of the country for a global war, the priorities in the development of the Chinese army have also changed. Since China currently believes that a world war is now hardly possible, there are massive reductions in the army. At the same time, the Chinese army is rapidly modernizing, and the amount of funds allocated annually for the army is so large that it is not necessary to talk about the loss of power of the Chinese army.

At the same time, the aggressive policy of the United States is forcing China to modernize its army at an accelerated pace, since conversations in the world political arena are still being conducted from a position of strength. That is why the new military doctrine of China speaks of the transformation of the Chinese army into a powerful structure, equipped with the latest technology. An army of this type must be able not only to effectively defend its borders, but also to respond with powerful blows to the enemy, who can be located in any part of the world. That is why China is now investing heavily in the development and modernization of intercontinental cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

Such a position is not related to the aggressiveness of China, simply because in the last century a huge but technologically backward country was in semi-colonial dependence on Western countries that for decades robbed the Chinese people. That is why China is cooperating with Russia, which has been actively helping it since the times of the USSR.

China's entire nuclear policy can fit into the concept of a "limited nuclear retaliatory strike," with "retaliatory" being the key word here. This policy, although it assumes the presence of a powerful nuclear potential, but it should only serve as a deterrent for those countries that intend to use nuclear weapons against China. This is not at all like the nuclear arms race that was between the USSR and the USA, so the Chinese nuclear program does not require huge material costs.

In the past decade, China has abandoned the aimless increase in the size of the army. After conducting many analyzes of world military conflicts that have occurred over the past 10-20 years, Chinese military experts have come to the conclusion that modern troops should support the concept of rapid response. At the same time, these groups can be quite compact, but their weapons must meet all modern high-tech parameters. It is science that should drive the modern development of the army. A modern soldier is not cannon fodder, but a versatile specialist who knows how to handle the latest military equipment.

Mobile rapid response teams must, within a few hours, be at the point of a local conflict, which they must quickly neutralize. In accordance with this concept, the Chinese armed forces are developing precisely mobile forces, trying to equip them with various electronics that can perform the following tasks:

• Long-range warning systems;
• Early warning systems;
• Communication systems;
• Remote control systems for weapons and troops;
• The latest means of electronic warfare.

Since China has made tremendous progress in the development of electronics in recent years, the military field is also developing very dynamically.

Financing the Chinese army

Although spending on the Chinese army is in second place in world statistics, second only to the United States, as a percentage of the $ 200 billion that is annually allocated for defense, it is only 1.5-1.9% of the country's GDP. Even 10 years ago this percentage was equal to 55 billion, and 20 years ago it was only 10 billion. Since China's GDP is growing every year, we can expect an increase in funding for the Chinese army in the future.

Representatives of many countries that are rather wary of China (especially the United States) believe that the official statistics provided by the Chinese authorities do not correspond to the real state of affairs. For example, the Japanese, who have disliked China since the Second World War, claim that the real costs of the Chinese army exceed the figures in official statistics by 3 times.

Although the economic situation at the beginning of the 21st century contributed to a reduction in funding around the world, the events of the last 2 decades have shown that China has been able to increase its GDP by more than 20 times. Accordingly, the financing of the army increased exponentially, since no one cut the percentage.

Due to the fact that modern China trades with almost all countries of the world, the diplomatic relations of this country with all gradually normalized. Modern China has especially friendly relations with Russia. These relations are formed on the basis of equal partnership. It is worth noting that the friendly Russian-Chinese relations are of great concern to the United States of America, which wants to be a leader on the world stage. The United States cannot help but worry about China's integration into the world economy, so they would like to have leverage over China from a position of strength. America is well aware that if Russia and China unite against them, then they are unlikely to win, even on the economic battlefield.

If you look at China's domestic politics, you can see China's great attention to the country's internal problems. The standard of living in China is growing at a rapid pace, many Chinese now live in a way that only a select few could afford 20 years ago.

Should the world wait for the “Chinese threat”?

Since any success of any country gives rise to envy and suspicion, China has not escaped this fate either. As a result of the fact that China began to develop rapidly in the past 20 years, it began to be perceived by some politicians in different countries as a possible aggressor. The tabloids around the world picked up these rumors, and now many ordinary people are waiting for aggressive actions from China against their countries. This hysteria has reached the point that even in Russia, which for many years has been China's partner in various fields, many consider the Chinese to be their enemies.

The Chinese authorities express their deep regret that many world countries treat China as a possible aggressor. The reason for these accusations lies in the misunderstanding of Chinese foreign policy. Supporters of the "China threat" theory accuse China of the following:

• After the US and Russian navies reduced the number of warships in the Asia-Pacific region, China rushed to take the vacant seat to become the most significant military force in the region;
• China dreams of the idea of ​​world domination, therefore, throws all its forces into absorbing world markets and building up military power;
• Since China buys a huge amount of modern weapons from Russia, this causes a real arms race in this region. It has gotten to the point where some military experts directly accuse China of having North Korea acquire its own nuclear weapons;
• The modernization of the Chinese army is carried out for only one purpose - to hit any country, perhaps even the United States.

Chinese military experts indignantly deny these accusations. Regarding the leadership of the Chinese fleet in the Asia-Pacific region, Chinese experts cite a number of dry figures that indicate that although Russia and the United States have reduced their forces in this region, the fleet of any of these countries is significantly superior to the Chinese one in terms of its power.

With regard to the Chinese idea of ​​world domination, the rapid growth of the Chinese economy should not be seen as an attempt to establish world domination. The fact that China is buying up enterprises around the world is a common practice of global business that is striving for development.

As for the global modernization of the Chinese army, the Chinese authorities say that this process is a heavy burden on the shoulders of the Chinese economy. The Chinese say that they would gladly refuse this process, but the composition of the People's Liberation Army of China is seriously inferior to the armies of other countries. That is why modernization is a necessary process.

There is some truth in the assurances of Chinese experts and authorities. Indeed, in modern China there are many reforms that are aimed at the economic development of the state. If China has to focus on external problems, this will inevitably lead to problems at home. It is unlikely that China will want to create unnecessary problems for itself when its government is focused on economic reforms.

The US constantly claims that China will launch military aggression from Taiwan, which they have long wanted to take over. If we consider the relationship between China and Taiwan from the point of view of the economy, we can see that these two states have serious economic relations. The annual turnover between the two states is very significant, so it makes no sense for China to lose huge profits by attacking Taiwan.

With the United States most blamed on China, portraying it as a real beast that is just waiting for the moment to attack, one thing can be understood: America does not need another superpower on the world stage. Although for the United States “the train has already left”, and the Chinese army is confidently moving towards leadership positions in the world rankings.

A noticeable geopolitical trend of recent decades has been the rapid rise of China and its gradual transformation from a regional leader into a superpower that no longer hides its global ambitions. Today, China has the second economy in the world, and it continues to grow rapidly, more than a third of world GDP growth is provided by China.

However, a strong economy alone is not enough to realize global ambitions. The power of a state and the respect of its neighbors - as at all times - is determined by the ability of its armed forces to defend national interests.

It should be noted that estimates of Chinese military power vary greatly. From panic materials about the "yellow" threat that can capture the whole world, to an openly dismissive attitude towards the developments of the Chinese military-industrial complex. But still, most experts recognize the successes achieved by the Chinese military leadership in recent years. So, what is the modern army of China? Should she be afraid?

The country's armed forces are officially called the PLA - the People's Liberation Army of China, they were founded on August 1, 1927 during the civil war, but this name was received a little later, after the end of World War II. Today, the PLA is considered one of the strongest armies on the planet, experts put it in second or third place in the ranking of the armed forces of the countries of the world.

In accordance with the country's constitution, the PRC army is not subordinate to the government or the leadership of the Communist Party, but to a special body - the Central Military Council. The post of Chairman of the Central Military Commission is considered one of the key in the hierarchy of power, currently (since 2013) it has been occupied by the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping. The first chairman of the Central Military Council was Deng Xiaoping, one of the architects of the Chinese economic miracle.

As of 2013, the number of the PLA was 2 million 250 thousand people (according to other sources - 2.6 million). In 2016, another reduction of the Chinese armed forces by 300 thousand people was announced. After the implementation of these plans, approximately 2 million people will remain in the Chinese army.

The Chinese army is conscription, men are recruited into the armed forces at the age of 18 and remain in the reserve until the age of 50.

China continues to increase defense spending: if at the beginning of the 2000s the country spent $17 billion on the army and the military-industrial complex, then in 2013 this figure reached $188 billion (2% of GDP). In terms of military spending, China confidently ranks second, significantly ahead of Russia (with its $87.8 billion in 2013), but more than three times behind the United States ($640 billion).

The impressive success of the Chinese defense industry should also be noted. You can forget the times when the word "Chinese" was synonymous with something cheap, low quality and counterfeit. Today, China produces almost the entire range of weapons and ammunition. If earlier China mainly copied Soviet and Russian weapons, today the Chinese defense industry is trying to imitate the most technologically advanced products from the USA, Europe and Israel.

China still lags behind Russia in some areas: aircraft and rocket engines, submarines, cruise missiles - but this gap is rapidly closing. Moreover, the PRC is gradually turning into a powerful player in the global arms market, confidently occupying the niche of inexpensive and high-quality weapons.

History of the PLA

The history of the Chinese armed forces has more than four thousand years. However, the modern army of the PRC is the heir to the pro-communist armed groups that appeared during the civil war that took place in the country in the 20-30s of the last century. On August 1, 1927, an uprising began in the city of Nanchang, during which the so-called Red Army was founded under the leadership of the future leader of China, Mao Zedong.

The Red Army of China fought against the armed forces of the Kuomintang, then fought against the Japanese interventionists. It received the PLA name only after the end of World War II.

After the defeat of the Kwantung Army, the USSR handed over all Japanese weapons to the Chinese comrades. Chinese volunteers armed with Soviet weapons actively participated in the Korean War. The Soviet Union actively helped China to build a new army, and very quickly, numerous and quite combat-ready armed forces were created on the basis of semi-partisan formations.

After Stalin's death, relations between the PRC and the USSR began to deteriorate rapidly, and in 1969 there was a border conflict on Damansky Island, which almost escalated into a full-scale war.

Since the 1950s, the PLA has experienced several significant reductions, the most significant of which was carried out in the early 80s. Until that time, the Chinese army was mainly land, it was "sharpened" for a possible conflict with the USSR. As the likelihood of war in the north declined, the Chinese leadership began to pay more attention to the south: Taiwan, the disputed territories in the South China Sea.

In the 90s of the last century, the PRC leadership launched a program to modernize the national armed forces, which led to such an impressive growth in the future. More attention was paid to the development of the navy, missile forces and air force.

A few years ago, the beginning of a new reform of the PLA was officially announced. The transformation is already underway. The principle of formation of the armed forces of the armed forces has changed, new types of troops have been created. The goal of large-scale transformations is to achieve a new level of controllability of the PLA by 2020, optimize the structure of the army and create a military capable of winning in the era of information technology.

Structure of the PLA

The system of power of modern China provides for complete control over the national armed forces by the ruling Communist Party of the country. Each level of PLA organization has its own party control structures. At the same time, it should be noted that, in comparison with the middle of the last century, the influence of the party leadership and ideology on the armed forces has become less.

The main governing body of the PLA is the Central Military Council, which consists of the chairman, his deputy and members of the council, military personnel. There is also a Ministry of Defense in China, but its functions are reduced to a minimum: to the organization of international military cooperation and peacekeeping missions.

The reform, launched in 2016, primarily affected the management system of the PLA. Instead of four headquarters - the General Staff, the main logistics department, the main political department and the weapons department - fifteen compact departments were created, each of which deals with a separate direction and is subordinate to the Central Military Council.

The reform also affected the structure of the Chinese armed forces. As part of the PLA, a new type of troops appeared - the Strategic Support Forces, the country's military districts were reformatted. Previously, the territory of China was divided into seven military regions, on February 1, 2016 they were replaced by five military command zones:

• Northern zone of military command. Its headquarters is in Shenyang City. The command structure includes four army groups. Its main task is to counter the military threat from North Korea, Mongolia, northern Japan and Russia.
• Western Military Command Zone (headquarters in Chengdu). Controls most of the country's territory, but has no access to the sea. The task of the command is to ensure the security of Tibet, Xinjiang and other regions. The most important for China is the Indian direction, for which the Western Command is also responsible. It consists of three army groups and about ten separate divisions.
• Southern Military Command Zone (Headquarters in Guangzhou). Controls the territory near the Vietnamese, Lao and Myanmar borders, it consists of three army groups.
• Eastern Military Command Zone (headquartered in Nanjing). One of the most important areas for China, given the long-standing problem with Taiwan. The Chinese do not rule out the possibility of solving it by military means. The command structure includes three army groups.
• Central Military Command Zone (Headquarters in Beijing). This command protects the capital of the country - Beijing, it includes five army groups at once, so the Central Command can be called strategic for the armed forces of the PRC.

Currently, the PLA includes five branches of service:

• Ground troops;
• Navy;
• Air Force;
• Strategic Rocket Forces;
• Strategic support troops.

Land Forces of the People's Republic of China

China has the largest land army in the world. Experts estimate its number at 1.6 million people. It should be noted that the current reform of the PLA provides for a significant reduction in the Ground Forces. Currently, the Chinese army is continuing its transition from a divisional to a more flexible brigade structure.

The reserves of the Ground Forces are estimated at about 500 thousand people. At least 40% of the Chinese army is mechanized and armored.

Currently, the PLA is armed with more than eight thousand tanks, among which there are both obsolete (various modifications of the tank Type 59, Type 79 and Type 88) and new ones: Type 96 (various modifications), Type-98A, Type-99, Type-99A. The ground forces of the PLA also have 1490 infantry fighting vehicles and 3298 armored personnel carriers. More than 6 thousand towed guns, 1710 self-propelled howitzers, almost 1800 MLRS and more than 1.5 thousand anti-aircraft guns are in operation.

One of the main problems of the Chinese army (including the Ground Forces) is the amount of obsolete equipment and weapons that were developed on the basis of Soviet models at the end of the last century. However, this issue is gradually being resolved, and the troops are being saturated with modern types of weapons.

Air Force

The PRC Air Force is in third place in the world in terms of numbers (390 thousand people (according to other sources - 360 thousand), second only to the United States and Russia. The Air Force is divided into 24 air divisions. The PLA Air Force is armed with about 4 thousand combat aircraft of various types , models and missions, as well as more than a hundred combat helicopters.The Chinese Air Force also includes air defense units, which are armed with about 700 missile launchers and 450 radars of various types.

The main problem of the Chinese Air Force is the operation of a large number of obsolete vehicles (analogues of the Soviet MiG-21, MiG-19, Tu-16 and Il-28).

Serious modernization of the PRC Air Force began at the end of the last century. China has purchased several dozen of the latest Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft from Russia. Then the licensed production of these machines began in the PRC, and then the unlicensed one.

Since about the middle of the last decade, China has been developing its own fifth-generation fighters: the J-31 and J-20. The J-20 fighter was shown to the public last fall. The plans of the Chinese leadership are not only to equip their own Air Force with these machines, but also to actively export them.

Chinese Navy

Until the early 1990s, relatively little attention was paid to the development of naval forces in China. This type of troops was considered auxiliary, but since then the situation has changed dramatically. The leadership of the PRC has understood the importance of the Navy and spares no resources for its modernization.

At present, the strength of the Chinese Navy is 255 thousand people (according to other sources - 290 thousand). The Navy is divided into three fleets: the South, North and East Seas, respectively. The fleets are armed with surface ships, submarines, naval aviation, marine infantry units and coastal defense troops.

In 2013, the Chief of the General Staff of the PLA said that the main threats to modern China come from the sea, so the development of the Navy is a priority.

Rocket troops

Before the start of the reform, the Chinese Strategic Missile Forces were called the Second Artillery Corps, and only in 2016 did they receive a new status. Their number is approximately 100 thousand people.

Many questions are raised by the number of nuclear warheads that China currently possesses. Experts estimate their number from 100 to 650 pieces, but there is another opinion that over several decades, the PRC could produce several thousand nuclear warheads.

The Americans believe that by 2020 China will be able to put on combat duty up to 200 ICBMs (both silo-based and mobile-based) equipped with next-generation warheads. Of particular note are the latest Chinese missile systems Dongfyn-31NA (range 11,000 km) and Dongfyn-41 (14,000 km).

Strategic Support Troops

This is the youngest branch of the Chinese army, it appeared on December 31, 2016. There is very little information about the goals and objectives of the Strategic Support Forces. It was announced that they will be engaged in intelligence, information warfare, attacks in cyberspace, and electronic countermeasures.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

The Chinese armed forces are the largest in the world. The size of the Chinese army as a general structure is 2,480,000 people. In terms of the totality of combat capabilities, they are still in third place after the United States and Russia. The structure includes: Air Force, Naval Forces, Ground Forces, Strategic Missile Forces and People's Militia. The subdivisions are equipped with both modern and very outdated equipment. Due to the increased level of secrecy, quantitative estimates of Chinese military equipment are often only approximate.

In 2010, a new military reform was launched to increase the size and quality of China's army. In 2018, there was a sharp jump in the combat capability of the PRC Armed Forces. According to the current Chinese military doctrine, measures are being taken to implement the so-called "principle of restricting access." It is designed to create restricted areas on the territory of China and nearby water areas, where even the US Armed Forces will not be able to conduct combat operations. Comprehensive measures are being implemented to create no-fly zones and counteract aircraft carrier strike groups. Much attention is paid to the development of nuclear forces, as well as to building up the space constellation and ensuring security in cyberspace.

Air Force

The number of Air Force personnel in the Chinese army in 2018 is 330 thousand people. The PRC Air Force has a mixed fleet of modern and obsolete aircraft, an extensive network of airfields, including extremely fortified underground ones, equipped in mountain ranges. They use both cars of Russian and their own production, often resorting to illegal copying of Russian technology. The Air Force also includes anti-aircraft missile troops.

Aviation is divided into the following main categories:

Strategic aviation

Strategic aviation is one of the components of the Chinese nuclear triad and is represented by 130 Xian H-6 long-range missile-carrying bombers, in fact, modified copies of the outdated Soviet Tu-16. Depending on the modification, the H-6 can carry from 2 to 6 cruise missiles with nuclear warheads. Presumably, the Air Force deployed from 120 to 150 strategic and tactical nuclear warheads, which is about a quarter of China's total nuclear potential. Unlike American and Russian strategic aircraft, Chinese bombers have a much shorter range and payload capacity, and are essentially not intercontinental.

tactical aviation

The structure includes: fighter-bombers - 24 Su-30MK2, 73 Su-30MKK, 43 Su-27SK, 32 Su-27UBK, 205 J-11 (clone Su-27), 323 J-10, 120 JH-7, 4 FC-1, 12 J-20 (5th generation), as well as obsolete fighter-bombers and attack aircraft - 192 J-8 (modification based on the MiG-21), 528 J7 (Mig-21 clone), 120 Q- 5 (attack aircraft based on the MiG-19), 32 Z-9 multi-purpose helicopters, 200 Z-10 and Z-19 attack helicopters, several dozen V-750 UAVs

The range of weapons is dominated by unguided weapons, although there is a fairly wide range of high-precision weapons, including guided bombs, anti-radar and anti-ship missiles, various air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles with active radar guidance. A great achievement of the Chinese defense industry is the launch of the fifth-generation J-20 multirole fighter jet.

AWACS aircraft

Includes: 4 KJ-200, 2 KJ-500, 4 KJ-2000, 1 KJ 3000.

Chinese AWACS are built on a modern element base and generally meet the standards for machines of this class, although there are some doubts about the quality of the headlights and software.

Military transport and auxiliary aviation

The structure includes: 2 Xian Y-20, 16 Il-76 MD \ TD, 1 Il-78, 4 Y-9, 61 Y-8 (An-12), 2 Boeing 737, as well as several dozen more middle class transporters and about 300 light An-2s, about 40 transport helicopters of Russian, domestic and French production.

At the moment, the Chinese Air Force has a small number of heavy transport aircraft, so the possibility of transferring military equipment is very limited.

Anti-aircraft missile troops

About 120 HQ-2, HQ-6, HQ-7, HQ-9, HQ-12, S-300 PMU air defense systems are in service. As an auxiliary force, the Chinese army has a large number of anti-aircraft artillery systems (more than 1100).

China's air defense system is an impressive force, air defense systems are mainly located in the eastern coastal and central regions. Measures are being taken to create a deeply echeloned air defense system and cover long-range complexes with the help of air defense systems and short-range air defense systems.

Naval Forces

The Chinese Navy today has a significant combat potential and is the most rapidly growing type of troops. The number of military personnel of the Navy in the Chinese army in 2018 is 290 thousand people. At the moment, the fleet is being completed entirely with the help of domestic shipbuilding companies, although copies purchased in Russia are still in service. Ships and submarines under construction are equipped with modern high-precision weapons of various classes. The breakthrough of the Chinese industry in the field of electronics makes it possible to introduce modern CICS in the fleet (only on destroyers pr 052D and 055), approaching in their functionality the capabilities of the American Aegis system, as well as modern radar and anti-submarine equipment.

The fleet is conditionally divided into the following categories:

Fleet of guided missile ships

The structure includes: type 4 Kunming-class destroyers, pr. 052D, 6 Lanzhou-class destroyers, pr. 051, 4 Sovremenny-class destroyers: project 956E and project 956EM, 2 Jiankai-class frigates, project 054/054A, 10 Jianwei-2-class frigates, project 053H3, 4 053H2G, 29 Jianghu-1 frigates, project 053, 28 corvettes, project 056 / 056А, 83 missile boats, project 022, 31 missile boats, project 037, 25 missile boats, project 024.

The large number of missile boats in the Navy makes it possible to effectively solve the tasks of the coast guard and counteract larger enemy ships in coastal waters. The extensive fleet of corvettes is mainly concentrated on anti-submarine missions. About a third of the total number of destroyers are modern. 4 destroyers pr 052 D (it is planned to build 8 more) are very innovative for the Chinese fleet and are comparable to the American Arleigh Burke-class destroyers (without missile defense capability). The construction of a series of even more advanced project 055 destroyers has begun, 16 are planned.

submarine fleet

The composition includes: 4 SSBN pr. km), 4 MPLATRK project 093 Shan, 1 nuclear submarine project 097 Kin, 4 nuclear submarine project 091 Han (obsolete),

15 diesel-electric submarines pr. 041 Yuan, 10 diesel-electric submarines pr. 636, 2 diesel-electric submarines pr.

The Chinese Navy has one of the most powerful diesel-electric submarine fleets in the world (largely thanks to modern Russian boats pr 636). Due to their low noise, they pose a serious threat to the ship formations of any enemy, therefore, special attention is paid to the development of diesel-electric submarines in China as part of the “denial of access” strategy. The nuclear submarine fleet is actively developing, both in the field of creating multi-purpose boats and SSBNs. A significant part of the Chinese nuclear deterrence forces is located on underwater platforms, being one of the components of the nuclear triad. In terms of low-noise nuclear submarines, there is still a noticeable lag behind the advanced models of the Russian and American fleets.

Amphibious fleet

The structure includes: 4 UDC type "Qinchenshan" pr. 071, 25 large landing craft type "Yukan" pr. , 10 MDK type "Yuhai", project 074

The Chinese Armed Forces are actively increasing the number of marines, landing ships of new projects are being laid. Helicopter carriers pr 071 are the largest ships in the Chinese fleet after the aircraft carrier "Liaoning". In general, the landing fleet of the PRC has significant potential and is capable of landing fairly large units of marines.

Naval aviation

The Navy is armed with the only Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning (a converted Soviet Varyag), has 24 Shenyang J-15 fighters, 4 Z-18J AWACS helicopters, 6 Z-18F anti-submarine helicopters, 2 Z search and rescue helicopters. -9C.

Airfield-based naval aviation includes: multipurpose fighters - 24 Su-30MK2, 110 J-11/15/16 (clones of various versions of the Su-27), 24 J10; 230 obsolete fighters, bombers and attack aircraft J7, J8, Q5 (converted versions of the MiG-19 and MiG-21), 36 H-6 long-range bombers, 19 Ka-28 helicopters, 27 Z-8 helicopters, 25 Z-9С helicopters, 9 Ka-31 helicopters.

Despite the fact that the PRC army maintains a large number of obsolete equipment on its balance sheet, the naval aviation has 134 modern multi-role fighters capable of performing anti-ship warfare and air defense missions in large areas of coastal waters. The disadvantage of Chinese naval aviation is the lack of modern anti-submarine aircraft.

Ground forces

The size of the Chinese land army for 2018 is about 870 thousand people. For a long time they were subordinate to the leadership of the central military council, and its chairman was one of the most influential figures in the PRC, but in 2015, a separate military command of the Ground Forces was created for the first time. At the moment, they represent the most powerful ground strike force in the region.

In service are: 3400 type-59 / 59-2 / 59D tanks (modifications of the Soviet T-54), 300 type-79 tanks, 500 type-88 tanks and modern: 2200 type-96 / 96A tanks, 40 type-98A tanks , 750 type-99/99A tanks, 750 type-03/type 62/type 63A light tanks, 200 type-09 wheeled tanks: 1850 type-92/92A/92B infantry fighting vehicles, 1650 type-63 armored personnel carriers, 1500 type-89 armored personnel carriers , 400 ZBL-09 armored personnel carriers, 100 WZ-523 armored personnel carriers, 1820 self-propelled guns of various modifications, 6340 towed guns and mortars, 1810 MLRS (BM-21, WS-2 / WS-2D, WS-3), 1570 anti-aircraft guns, about 3000 MANPADS, several thousand ATGMs HJ-8, HJ-73, AFT-20, Red Arrow.

Of particular note is the power of Chinese artillery and the large size of the Chinese ground forces in 2018. The unique WS-2 and WS-3 MLRS systems are in service, significantly surpassing Western and Russian counterparts in terms of firing range and accuracy, closely approaching in their capabilities to operational-tactical missile systems at a much lower cost. They provide an accuracy of hitting with a KVO of 30 m at a distance of up to 200 km. It was on the basis of these complexes that the Belarusian MLRS Polonaise was created as part of military cooperation.

The strengths also include the introduction of the 3rd generation ATGM in the ground forces (the principle of fire-and-forget) with optical and infrared guidance systems. At the moment, only 5 countries of the world (USA, Israel, China, Japan, South Korea) can mass-produce such systems, since they require high-tech production of uncooled thermal imaging matrices.

Nuclear Forces

In China, this type of force is officially called the 2nd Artillery Corps. The number of personnel is approximately 110 thousand people. What is the real number of this secret unit in the Chinese army remains a mystery. All data relating to this type of troops are approximate.

The total potential of China's nuclear forces is estimated at about 400-600 nuclear blocks of strategic and tactical classes. Of these, approximately 250 strategic-class charges are distributed among the components of the triad. For mobile ground platforms of ICBMs, an extensive network of underground tunnels has been created, both under Beijing and in various (mainly mountainous) regions of China, which significantly increases the secrecy and stability of nuclear forces from a probable first strike from the enemy.

The composition includes: ICBMs - 20 DF-5A, 28 DF-31A, 16 DF-31, 10 DF-4. MRBM - 2 DF-3A, 36 DF-21C, 80 DF-21. BRMD - 96 DF-15, 108 DF-11A, as well as 54 long-range KR DH-10.

For new ICBMs based on modifications of the DF-31, placement on mobile ground platforms is typical. It is supposed to have 3-4 nuclear units on one rocket. In addition to the listed types of missiles, the newest ICBM DF-41 is beginning to enter service, where, probably for the first time in Chinese rocket science, a multiple warhead for 10 individual guidance units was used. This means that China has achieved technological parity in rocket science with the US and Russia.

Truly unique is the medium-range missile DF-21D with a maneuvering warhead and a guidance system that allows you to attack large moving targets (aircraft carrier class). It was created as part of the “deny access” strategy, implementing an extremely effective asymmetric response to the superiority of the United States in the field of naval weapons and AUGs in particular. In fact, it represents a completely new class of anti-ship missiles with a record low flight time and a firing range of 1750 km. According to Pentagon analysts, the appearance of such missiles could completely prevent the entry of the US fleet into the Taiwan Strait in the event of a conflict between China and Taiwan, and is also the first threat to the global dominance of the US Navy since the end of the Cold War.

People's Militia

The People's Militia of the People's Republic of China is a paramilitary unit of the internal troops (an analogue of the National Guard). They are engaged in maintaining order in China, fighting terrorism, protecting important facilities and carrying out border service. According to various estimates, the size of the Chinese "internal" army for 2018 is from 1 to 1.5 million people.

From the end of the 80s. China has begun to reform its armed forces, which are the largest in the world. In the course of reforming the armed forces (AF) of the PRC, which is designed for the long term, it is planned to reduce them while equipping them with weapons and military equipment. The strategy put forward by Jiang Zemin in 2001 for developing China's defense potential and modernizing China's armed forces by the middle of the 21st century calls for completing the modernization and reaching the advanced level of the armed forces of developed countries.

At present, the Chinese armed forces have a system of compulsory and voluntary service, being in the people's militia and serving in the reserve. The period of compulsory military service has been reduced in all branches of the armed forces to two years. Extended service, which used to last 8–12 years, has been abolished, and contract service has been introduced for a period of at least three and no more than 30 years.

According to the National Defense Law of the People's Republic of China adopted in March 1997, the "triune system" of the Chinese armed forces consists of:

- PLA (strategic forces and general purpose forces) - about 3 million people;

- NVM (people's armed police) - about 1.5 million people;

- mobilization resources - over 361.3 million people, including about 198.4 million people fit for military service.

Strategic forces include strategic offensive and strategic defensive forces. The nuclear strategy of China, which has committed itself not to be the first to use nuclear weapons, is reflected in the concept of a "limited retaliatory nuclear strike", which implies the construction of a nuclear deterrence force limited in terms of combat strength, capable of creating a threat of causing unacceptable damage to a potential adversary to force the latter to abandon the use of nuclear weapons against China. Such an approach does not emphasize the achievement of nuclear priority in relation to developed countries and, therefore, is rational from the point of view of saving material and financial resources.

Strategic nuclear forces include ground, air and sea components and have a total of about 212 nuclear weapons carriers, they are served by a total of 100,000 personnel. They are based on the strategic missile troops, which are armed with 75 ground-based ballistic missile launchers. Strategic aviation has 80 obsolete Hun-6 aircraft (created on the basis of the Tu-16). The maritime component includes a nuclear-powered missile submarine with 12 Julang-1 missile launchers. At the same time, the Chinese leadership has chosen to increase the combat capabilities of land-based strategic weapons as the leading direction. China has completed the development of a mobile missile system with a solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a range of about 8,000 km.

The Chinese Strategic Missile Forces (SRV) are the means of the Supreme High Command. The right to decide on their combat use belongs to the Central Military Council of the People's Republic of China. This body decides on the construction of strategic missile forces, determines their composition and grouping. According to the views of the Chinese military-political leadership, the SRV are designed to destroy objects that form the basis of the military and economic potential of the enemy, large groupings of his troops, disrupt state and military administration, and disrupt the work of the rear. To date, only the Vietnamese Republic of China meets the highest requirements of the world level.

The SRV consists of rocket troops and special troops. Rocket troops are designed to carry out combat missions of delivering nuclear strikes against enemy targets and groupings of troops. Rocket troops, in accordance with the nature of the tasks to be solved, include two components - strategic and operational-tactical. The strategic component is a means of the Supreme High Command and is designed to solve strategic problems. The operational-tactical component in peacetime is under the leadership of the commander of the SRV, in wartime it can be transferred to the operational subordination of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in the theater of operations. The Rocket Forces include formations armed with missile systems of intercontinental ballistic missiles (20 ICBMs with nuclear warheads), medium-range ballistic missiles (IRBM) and operational-tactical missiles (OTR).

Special troops are designed to perform the tasks of combat, technical and logistic support. They are divided into formations that perform the tasks of operational (communications, engineering, chemical, topogeodetic, meteorological), technical (rocket-technical, nuclear-technical, technical) and rear (transport, economic, medical) support.

Organizationally, the SRV consists of missile bases, separate missile regiments, training centers, and units of central subordination (see Table 1).

The front may include 1 missile brigade armed with a Dongfeng-13 OTR or 2 RBRs, one of which will be equipped with a Dongfeng-11 OTR. The missile brigade consists of 4 missile battalions, each battalion has 4 launch batteries of 1 launcher each (4 missiles each). Total in the brigade: PU OTR - 16; missiles with warheads in conventional equipment - 64.

Table 1

Deployment and armament of strategic missile forces

The army can have 1 missile brigade armed with the Dongfeng-11 OTR. It consists of 3 missile battalions, each with 4 launch batteries of 1 launcher (4 missiles each). Total in the brigade: PU OTR - 12; missiles - 48.

table 2

Types of weapons adopted in the Strategic Missile Forces

General Forces include Rapid Reaction Force (RRF) And main forces.

The RRF is a mobile part of the Armed Forces and is designed to protect the interests of the state along the entire period of China's borders during armed conflicts and local wars, as well as to suppress mass anti-government protests within the country. RRF are the most combat-ready part of the Armed Forces. The formations and units included in their composition are deployed in the immediate vicinity of areas of probable armed conflicts, in strategically important transport hubs and are designed to repel a surprise enemy attack, participate in border conflicts and local wars, as well as solve combat and other tasks in emergency conditions (under natural disasters, mass unrest within the country).

The structure of the RRF consists of maneuver forces, riot control forces, duty forces of directions, duty forces of districts, and experimental troops.

The maneuver forces are at the disposal of the Central Air Force of the People's Republic of China and are intended for operational use throughout the country. They include: 3 combined arms divisions, an airborne brigade, a marine corps brigade, 9 combat aviation regiments, 2 helicopter regiments, 6 brigades, 2 combat boat divisions.

The duty forces of the directions are also at the disposal of the CAF of the PRC and are designed to solve suddenly arising combat missions on the most conflict-prone sections of the PRC state border. Depending on the importance and operational capacity of the areas, the combat strength of the duty forces can include from one to six divisions, up to 11 combat aviation regiments and seven divisions of warships and boats. At present, formations and units of the RRF are deployed in the southeastern (Taiwanese), southern maritime, Vietnamese and Indian directions.

The duty forces of military districts are subordinate to the commanders of the troops of large military districts and are intended for operational use on a district scale. One combined-arms division was allocated to their composition. If necessary, the duty forces of the districts can be involved in solving problems in other regions of the country.

To prevent and suppress unrest of the population, riot suppression forces are intended in cooperation with public security agencies and the People's Armed Militia (NVM). They include parts of the field and local troops.

Experimental troops are designed to work out variants of the combat composition of maneuver forces and means of strengthening them, as well as issues of command and control of groupings of troops in the course of local war operations. They include tank and mechanized formations with the greatest combat capabilities.

The formations and units of the RRF are currently staffed by 85-90%, military equipment and weapons by 85-95% (battle tanks, armored personnel carriers, engineering and automotive equipment, crossing facilities - 85%, PA guns, MLRS and M launchers - 95%). They are constantly on high alert. In the course of their operational and combat training, the main attention is paid to the development of offensive and defensive actions in armed conflicts using modern weapons, as well as marches over long distances and transfers by rail (air) transport.

The main forces (SV, Air Force, Navy) include all other formations and are designed to solve problems during a local or global war.

The ground forces are the most numerous type of Chinese armed forces - 1.7 million people (about 75% of the total number of the PLA), 7 military regions, 28 provincial military regions, 4 garrison commands. The ground forces include regular (field troops, including local) and reserve. The Chinese command of the ground forces assigns the main role in the defeat of enemy troops, the capture and retention of territory.

Structurally, the ground forces are divided into:

- according to their intended purpose - to field and local troops;

- according to combat properties - the types of troops and special troops;

- in terms of combat composition and the scale of the tasks being solved - into formations, formations, units and subunits;

- according to the degree of staffing - into combat-ready and reserve.

Regular troops include 21 combined arms armies (44 infantry, 2 mechanized, 9 tank, 7 artillery divisions), 12 tank, 13 infantry, 22 motorized infantry and 20 artillery brigades, 7 helicopter regiments, 3 airborne divisions (brought into the airborne corps ), 5 separate infantry divisions, a separate tank and 2 infantry brigades, a separate artillery division, 34 separate artillery brigades, 4 anti-aircraft artillery brigades.

Field troops form the backbone of the SV and are designed to conduct offensive and defensive combat operations both on their own territory and beyond its borders. Organizationally, the field troops have been consolidated into combined arms armies.

Regional forces (local troops) are parts of the PLA that carry out garrison service. Heavy artillery systems are in service, parts of regional forces are deployed along the border and coast, covering the directions of a possible strike. Local troops (regional forces) have 12 infantry divisions, 1 mountain infantry and 4 infantry brigades, 87 infantry battalions, 50 engineer regiments, 50 communications regiments and 21 battalions. Local troops solve combat and other tasks within their administrative units (provinces, districts, counties). In wartime, formations of local troops will interact with operational formations of the PLA on the flanks, in the depths of their defenses and behind enemy lines. If necessary, they can be transferred to the states of the field troops and are included in the composition of combined arms formations and formations of field troops.

The reserve is 1 million people, and these are: 50 divisions (infantry, artillery, anti-aircraft missile), 100 separate regiments (infantry and artillery).

According to the new military doctrine, army formations were enlarged. Now each army with a total strength of 46,300 people includes - 4 motorized rifle divisions, infantry, tank, artillery formations, air defense units, transport and front-line aviation.

Combined arms armies are the basis of the Armed Forces and are designed to conduct combat operations to protect the country as a whole. Local troops must carry out the protection of specific areas, as well as, together with the combined arms armies and the people's militia, strike at the invading enemy. Due to the lack of weapons, army formations remain predominantly infantry. 12 tank divisions, each having 3 regiments with 240 tanks, are not enough to adequately support motorized rifle units. Artillery formations adopted towed artillery pieces, howitzers mounted on trucks-platforms of the volley fire system.

In the 1980s The PLA adopted self-propelled artillery mounts. But the military leadership decided to replace them with rocket artillery systems, as a cheaper alternative. The engineering units of the PLA are provided with repair and recovery, pontoon equipment, tracked and wheeled tractors. In 1979, an anti-tank rocket launcher entered service. The general provision of sapper (mining and demining systems) equipment remains insufficient.

Currently, the PLA is armed with the T-69 main battle tank, an improved version of the T-59 tank, created on the basis of the Soviet T-54 tank. During the modernization, armor was strengthened, a tank gun stabilizer, a fire control system, and a 105-mm smoothbore gun were installed. In the 1980s in the Western press there was a mention of the creation of the T-80 tank. It is armed with a new engine, 105 mm gun and fire control systems.

Special troops are designed to perform tasks to support combat operations and the daily activities of the ground forces. They include formations and units: reconnaissance, signal troops, engineering troops, electronic warfare, chemical troops, automobile troops.

According to the combat composition and the scale of the tasks to be solved, the ground troops are divided into formations, units, formations, subunits.

The formations, according to the classification adopted by the PLA, include: front (higher or operational-strategic formation of wartime), combined arms army (operational formation), airborne corps (lower or operational-tactical formation).

The main formations of the PLA field forces are: divisions (infantry, motorized infantry, mechanized, tank), brigades (mountain infantry, tank, artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, airborne, pontoon bridge, engineer and special purpose).

The formations (units) of local troops include infantry divisions, brigades (regiments), including covering the state border and covering the coast.

Combat-ready formations and units of the ground forces of the PLA, depending on the staffing level, are divided into formations of types A and B.

In formations and units of type A in peacetime, the presence of military personnel reaches 85-90% of the staff, and in the formation of type B - at least 30% (only command and technical staff). Military equipment and weapons (at least 80–95% staffing) are stored for short-term or long-term storage in military vehicle fleets, and supernumerary (peacetime) small arms and communications equipment are in the warehouses of the unit.

Reserve formations (50 infantry divisions, 100 separate regiments) are kept in peacetime in a special state as an organizational and material base for the rapid mobilization deployment of the Armed Forces. They have a staff of officers and rank and file in active service (200-250 people, including 100-120 officers), as well as stored stocks of weapons, military equipment and materiel.

Table 3

Weapons and military equipment of the ground forces

The Air Force (Air Force) of China (400 thousand people) is a branch of the armed forces designed for the country's air defense, combat operations together with the strategic missile forces, ground forces and naval forces, as well as for performing individual independent tasks.

Currently, the aircraft fleet is being updated by upgrading older types of aircraft, such as the Jian-7 (Mig-21) and Jian-8, and adopting new equipment, including Su-27 fighters, Su-30, Jian-P, Il-76 transport aircraft, Hong-6 (Tu-16) tanker aircraft, air-to-ground cruise missiles, airborne and space-based early warning systems. The PRC Air Force is armed with about 4.5 thousand combat aircraft (up to 500-600 units can be carriers of nuclear weapons), of which there are more than 3 thousand fighters, about 200 bombers. The aircraft and helicopter fleet is equipped with machines mainly of Russian and Chinese production - Tu-16, Il-28, MiG-19, MiG-21, Su-27, Il-76, An-2, An-24 or based on them.

The PLA Air Force includes aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, anti-aircraft artillery and radio engineering troops, as well as units and subunits of special troops.

Aviation of the Air Force according to its purpose, methods of combat use, flight performance and armament of aircraft are divided into bomber, reconnaissance, assault, military transport, and fighter.

Organizationally, the Air Force is consolidated into operational and operational-tactical formations, as well as formations and units.

The operational formations of the Air Force are the Air Forces of military districts, which are designed for air defense of groupings of troops and the most important objects located on the territory of the district, air support for ground forces and naval forces, and if they include strike aircraft, to destroy important objects in the operational and immediate strategic depth and other tasks.

The air forces of the military districts are operationally subordinate to the commanders of the troops of the respective military districts.

Table 4

Types of weapons adopted by the Air Force

The operational-tactical formations of the Air Force are Air Force corps, which are designed for air defense of certain zones and, to a limited extent, for aviation support of ground forces and naval forces. The Air Force Corps organizationally consists of formations and separate units of fighter aircraft and air defense ground forces. The number of air defense is 210 thousand people, they are armed with 100 surface-to-air missiles and over 16 thousand anti-aircraft guns, early detection systems - air defense units of the Air Force are consolidated into 22 regiments.

Air force formations are: air divisions (bomber, assault, fighter, transport), each air force division of 17 thousand people, consists of three regiments. Each regiment consists of three squadrons, each squadron has three or four aircraft; brigades (anti-aircraft missile, anti-aircraft missile and artillery).

Air Force units include: regiments (aviation, anti-aircraft artillery and radio engineering), airfield technical bases.

The naval forces (Navy) of China make up no more than 12% of the entire PLA (about 250 thousand people, including more than 40 thousand conscripts), they are the third largest naval force in the world.

The command structure of the Navy consists of the headquarters of the Navy (Beijing) and the headquarters of the Northern Fleet (Qingdao), Eastern (Shanghai) and Southern (Zhanjiang). The Naval Headquarters is subordinate to the General Staff of the PLA. The fleet has its own air defense - the number of 34 thousand people, coast guard detachments - 38 thousand people, the marine corps - 56.5 thousand people. The Chinese Navy is designed to defend the coast from enemy attacks from the sea, prevent amphibious landings, protect coastal communications, and ensure the national interests of the PRC at sea, independently or jointly with other branches of the armed forces.

The naval forces have 125 warships of the main classes, 608 combat aircraft and 32 naval aviation helicopters. To protect the coast, there are a large number of small-tonnage ships and boats capable of operating in the coastal zone. The PRC coastline is protected by more than 100 Romeo and Whiskey class diesel submarines with a limited time on combat duty. Destroyers and frigates are stationed inside this protective ring and outside the range of naval aircraft, equipped with Styx class anti-ship missiles and 130-mm guns. In the event of a breakout of the ring of destroyers and frigates, the enemy will be attacked by more than 900 high-speed ships. Stormy weather reduces the effectiveness of their use and air support.

The coast is covered by coast guard detachments armed with Haiin-2 and Haiin-4 anti-ship missile systems and anti-ship artillery.

Navy in the mid-1980s moved from the former strategy of "coastal defense" to the strategy of "defense in coastal waters". However, an attempt to implement the new strategy, which required a renewal of the ship's composition (including the acquisition in Russia of 4 destroyers of the Sovremenny type, 12 submarines and other equipment and weapons), due to a lack of funds, led to an imbalance between the increased capabilities of the main forces and means of support: as before, the PLA Navy does not have a sufficiently powerful anti-submarine defense potential, and surface ships are vulnerable to air attacks and anti-ship missiles. The Chinese Navy does not yet have aircraft-carrying cruisers.

Structurally, the Navy consists of the fleet (submarine and surface forces), aviation (26 thousand people), marines (about 10 thousand people) and coast guard troops (28 thousand people).

Organizationally, the Naval Forces are consolidated into the highest operational (operational-strategic), main operational and operational-tactical formations, as well as formations and units.

The highest operational (operational-strategic) formations of the Navy are the fleets, which are designed to carry out operational-strategic and operational tasks in their designated operational zones.

Table 5

Types of weapons adopted by the Navy

The main operational formation of the Navy, according to the views of the PLA command, is an operational squadron created in wartime to conduct combat operations in areas of the maritime theater of operations remote from their bases. A squadron may include several brigades, separate divisions of surface ships and submarines of various classes, as well as support vessels.

The operational-tactical formation of the Navy is a naval base. It is designed to maintain a favorable operational regime in the operational zone assigned to it, ensure deployment, return the forces of the fleet to their bases and restore their combat capability, protect navigation and base the forces of the fleet.

The formations of the Chinese Navy are naval areas, brigades of submarines, surface ships and combat boats, aviation divisions, and a marine brigade.

The units of the Navy include divisions of warships and boats, separate air regiments, coastal missile, coastal artillery, anti-aircraft artillery regiments (separate divisions), and radio engineering regiments.

The People's Armed Militia (NVM) consists of formations, units and subdivisions of three types of troops: internal security, border guard and special troops (fire and forest guards, production and construction units). The NVM is a paramilitary formation, whose personnel are guided by general military charters and instructions, have the same rights and allowances as the army. The number is 1.5 million people. The police formations are entrusted with the functions of ensuring internal security and public order.

The People's Militia (NO) is a mass paramilitary organization and is divided into "personnel" and "general" - 36.5 million people. In peacetime, the people's militia performs the tasks of maintaining public order, and in wartime - tasks of a defensive nature and various supporting functions.

An assessment of the potential of the Chinese armed forces gives reason to believe that the Chinese army will not attack Russia or any other country. All activities of the PLA are determined today based on the principle of defense sufficiency, which guarantees reliable protection of national interests.

Galenovich Yu.M. Orders of Jiang Zemin (Principles of foreign and defense policy of modern China). M., 2003. S. 58.

Foreign military review. 2004. No. 1. S. 8.

Galenovich Yu.M. Decree. op. S. 58; Military-political problems and the armed forces of China // Express-. M., 2004. No. 1. S. 63, 68.

Military-political problems ... S. 63, 68.

China's military power (Report of a special independent group commissioned by the US Council on Foreign Relations) // TsNID IFES RAS. Issue. 03-025. C. 4.

Military-political problems and the armed forces of China // Express-. M., 2004. No. 1. S. 63, 68.

Foreign military review. 2004. No. 1. S. 65.

"Coastal waters" includes the maritime area from 150 to 600 nautical miles from the coast, including the Yellow, East China and South China Seas.

Military-political problems ... S. 63, 68.