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Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Assets

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The PLA Aviation Corps
Table of Organization
Revision 3.1

• General: PLA Army Aviation Corps was organized in 1988 by transferring the majority of PLAAF helicopters into the new organization. With the exception of a single flight of two Y-8 (An-12) transports, all aircraft in the PLAAC are rotary wing. There were originally 22 Aviation Regiments. Today there are 9 active regiments plus the Army Aviation Training Regiment. There are also approximately 9 reserve regiments and about 5 special army aviation units. Nominally “regiments” these units operate a single squadron. All of these organizations are assigned to five Helicopter Brigades assigned to selected Group Armies. These Helicopter Brigades, when fully mobilized, typically operate from 84 to 245 machines in 3-6 subordinate units. While this represents a significant capability, when compared with a corps (which a Group Army is), the rotary wing support available to PLA units is modest. Certain Rapid Deployment Force units are associated with specific aviation regiments for operations. Nevertheless, this organization is logical and it permits selected Group Army commanders to control a critical resource.
  
  
• Helicopter Brigades: There are 5 Helicopter Brigades assigned to the Beijing Shi, Shanyang, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shanghai Shi War Zone commands. Each Brigade typically controls 1 to 3 regular Avitation Regiments and two or more reserve units. While historically PLAAC Aviation Regiments operated a single type of helicopter, newer equipment is being issued on a squadron basis. Historically most of these have been transport helicopters, but the new WZ-9 represents a significant attack helicopter (based on the AS-365 Dauphin 2). There are also 8 SA-342 Gazelle anti-armor helicopters (with HOT).
  
  
• Helicopter Regiments: The original 10 regular Aviation Regiments assigned to the Aviation Brigades were originally equipped as follows: 2 with Z-6 (Improved Mi-4), 2 with Mi-17 (Improved Mi-8), 1 with Mi-8 (a reengineered Mi-4 with turbine engines), 3 with Z-8 (Heavy Lift SA-321 Super Frelon), and 2 with Z-9G (Eurocopter AS-365 Dauphin 2). The reserve Helicopter Regiments are all equipped with the Z-5 (Mi-4) but may be converting to the Z-6 (if it is not misidentified). There is also a special unit equipped entirely with WZ-9 gunships in the Nanjing Military Region. And there are other special (one squadron) reserve units are equipped entirely with Z-5 or Mi-8 in large urban areas. PLAAC Helicopter Brigades routinely detach assets to units of the army. One PLAAC in Hong Kong operates Z-9A under army command.
  
  
• PLAAC Detachments: The PLAAC operates a single flight of Y-8 (An-12) transports. It has a VIP squadron with 6 AS-332 and 4 Bell 214 machines. There is also a heavy lift flight of three remaining Mi-6s (stolen from shipments to Viet Nam during the Viet Nam war). These detachments are subordinate to the Army Aviation Training Unit which is in the Beijing Military Region.
  
  
• PLAAC Aircraft Identification Numbers: It is known that the PLAAC uses an identification number scheme which is similar to the PLAAF system. The identification numbers (tail numbers) always begin with the letters LH (for LuBing HangKong = Army Aviation). When the unit is a regiment, the number following the letters is five digits long, and the first digit is a 9. [Note that no air force, civil or naval units with 5 digit numbers begin with 9]. When the units is special, the leading 9 is omitted. In the 5 digit case, the second digit is the regiment identification number. In the 4 digit case, the first digit is the squadron identification number. In either case, the last two digits are the aircraft number itself, and the third digit from the right is a type indicator, using the following scale:
  

  Code 0 = Transport (Y-8, Mi-6, AS332, 214)	Code 5 = Z-5 (Mi-4)
  Code 1 = Alouette	Code 6 = Z-6 (Mod. Z-5 or Mi-8)
  Code 2 = S-70C	Code 7 = Mi-17 or Mi-171
  Code 3 = Sa-342 Gazelle	Code 8 = Mi-8 (or Z-8???)
  Code 4 = Z-11	Code 9 = Z-9 (AS-365)

  Note there is some relationship between the code and the aircraft type (e.g., Code 5 = Z-5, Code 8 = Mi-8, Code 9 = Z-9, etc.). When there is more than one digit in the equipment designator, one of these digits is the designator (e.g, Code 3 = Sa-342, Code 7 = Mi-17). The code for the Z-8 (SA-321) is unknown, but from the above it might be 8, especially as the Mi-8 is being phased out. It is reported that 4 digit tail numbers are being converted to 5 digit ones. If so, the conversion is not yet understood.

  
  
  
• 127th Amphibious Mechanized Infantry Division (Experimental): The 127th Amphibious Mechanized Infantry Division, based near Guangzhou (Canton), is an experimental organization. It is associated with the Sixth Army Aviation Regiment at San Shui. Other Rapid Deployment Force Divisions are probably associated with other Aviation Regiments in their part of the country.
  
  
• Regimental Organization: Army Aviation Corps Regiments normally have three squadrons (“flying units”) which typically operate 8-12 machines. The aircraft, however, actually belong to a single “maintenance unit” which issues the machines to the squadrons as required. A squadron can theoretically operate more machines if there are enough aircraft and pilots available. The word the Chinese prefer to translate “squadron” better corresponds to the English “flight.”
  
  
• Data Sources: This considers information from standard reference books from 1989-2002 including IISS Military Balance, Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft, Jane’s Fighting Ships, Brassey’s Combat Aircraft of the World, The International Directory of Military Aircraft and the Aerospace Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. It also considers databases by Rick Kramer and Andy Chan as well as articles in the military and aviation trade press, news articles and web articles which the writer has collected in extensive files, also since 1989. The data is somewhat confusing and contradictory and requires interpretation. There are indications that the long decline in equipment numbers significantly reversed in 2002. The rate of acquisition and integration of new equipment also appears to have accelerated moderately since 1999.

PLAAC Basing and Equipment Assignments - This is an Excel spreadsheet

Disclaimer: data is incomplete and some out of date data may have been included. The author will update the data as it becomes availible.

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