Air Division, Regiments, ... Bases, Brigades, etc

Deino

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Registered Member
Can anyone please translate and/or summarise this chart? Seems as if I mussed several PLAAF reassignments and conversions!

PLAAF 2019-2020 reassignments.jpg
 

jobjed

Captain
Can anyone please translate and/or summarise this chart? Seems as if I mussed several PLAAF reassignments and conversions!
It's a summary of 3rd-gen fighter units at the end of 2016, 15 brigades in total of which 2 are mixed units. Assuming 32 aircraft per brigade, that amounts to about 500 3rd-gens in service at the end of 2016. He notes that some of the units would've received new aircraft since then.
 

Totoro

Major
VIP Professional
But 32 aircraft per brigade using J8 is basically not applicable. As far I can track, most J8 units use 20-24 J8 planes (and some JJ7 trainers).
Also, even for J7 units, they seldomly use 32 planes. Especially the units using older type J7, they don't see to use even more than a dozen or so planes at once. There's literally hundreds of images on GE of such units, and very rarely do they seem to go over a dozen.
 

Totoro

Major
VIP Professional
On another note, why does scramble list 6 PLAAF units as using JH-7? For the longest time there was 5 of them, and that was after JH-7 production ceased.
So has one of the new units received second hand JH-7 but scramble simply did not yet delete them from one of the older units?

Brigades in question are: 83rd, 84th, 126th, 110th, 31st and 15th.
 

Deino

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Registered Member
It's a summary of 3rd-gen fighter units at the end of 2016, 15 brigades in total of which 2 are mixed units. Assuming 32 aircraft per brigade, that amounts to about 500 3rd-gens in service at the end of 2016. He notes that some of the units would've received new aircraft since then.


Thanks, so it is not a new or recent information but in fact an old one with several issues, either wrong or revised ...
PLAAF 2019-2020 reassignments +.jpg

On another note, why does scramble list 6 PLAAF units as using JH-7? For the longest time there was 5 of them, and that was after JH-7 production ceased.
So has one of the new units received second hand JH-7 but scramble simply did not yet delete them from one of the older units?

Brigades in question are: 83rd, 84th, 126th, 110th, 31st and 15th.

To admit I'm a bit confused, but I always thought there were six (aka the ones you listed)?
 

Totoro

Major
VIP Professional
To admit I'm a bit confused, but I always thought there were six (aka the ones you listed)?

Are you telling me that there were 6+5 units of jh7 all along in existance? (Plaaf + planaf) for a total of some 270 air frames in existence? (11*24 plus some training ones)

I am quite confused too because for the longest time scramble did list 5+5 units of jh7. Ever since 2011 or so, up until recently.

Do you happen to know when the newest unit got jh7? Because if it was after 2011 or so it is unlikely those are new built planes. As h6 production has taken over at xac by that time.
 

stannislas

Junior Member
Registered Member
Thanks, so it is not a new or recent information but in fact an old one with several issues, either wrong or revised ...
View attachment 56398



To admit I'm a bit confused, but I always thought there were six (aka the ones you listed)?
The lines in green are:

Above all, a total 15 fighter brigades equipped with 2 or 2.5 gen fighters, including 2 mixed units and 13 full units.

32 fighters per brigade, that’s about 500

This figure was in 2016, over the last 2 years, the PLAAF has equipped more 200 3rd gen fighters, so some should have already been replaced
 

Deino

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Registered Member
A J-7G Brigade with a new unit marking! :eek:
Allegedly a Brigade within the CTC, but given their number it does not look like the 21st Air Brigade (63x1x) :what: :what: ... looks more like 66xxx or 68xxx?
What do you think? o_O

(Images via @中部战区号角 from Weixin at
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
)

J-7G + unit marking - 1.jpg J-7G + unit marking - 1 part.jpg
 

Deino

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Registered Member
A J-7G Brigade with a new unit marking! :eek:
Allegedly a Brigade within the CTC, but given their number it does not look like the 21st Air Brigade (63x1x) :what: :what: ... looks more like 66xxx or 68xxx?
What do you think? o_O

(Images via @中部战区号角 from Weixin at
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
)

View attachment 57438 View attachment 57439

Mystery solved ... seems as if they are from the so far missing 52 Brigade at Shanpo.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
 
Top