November 11 is the 50th birthday of the People's Air Force in China. After 50 years' construction, under the solicitous care of the three generations of collective leadership, the People's Air Force has developed into pick crack force composed of fighters, bombers and freighter air arms, ground-to-air missile, anti-aircraft artillery and radar-man arms and other technical arms with modern combat capabilities in China.

No longer a weak unitary but a formidable force, with a glorious course traveled, it has already built itself into a worthy force to guard the security of the airspace of China.

On November 11, 1949 when the People's Air Force was first formed there were merely a few dilapidated old planes captured from the enemy available. As to various modern training facilities, courses or logistic service, these had all been totally ruled out. But the Korean war to resist US aggression and aid Korea did not daunt this force. It fiercely met head on with the then world overlord US air force. Though merely with some dozens of flying hours its fighter fought engagements with the US pirates. With a "Mig Corridor" thrown up they had by their fearlessness struck terror into the enemy's hearts in Korea. Statistics tell 330 enemy fighter planes had been beaten down by this weak new-born airforce during the war to resist US aggression and Korea. When adding in the others downed in various fights in liberating the coastal islands and defending the airspace security of the country there were altogether 3818 enemy planes that had been destroyed or damaged by this air force of the People's Republic.

In contrasting the early founding days of this people's air force, things have now given an entirely different picture:

The fighter air army new airplane modifying units have all built up combat effectiveness, the transport air arm units can perform their fighting tasks in any airspace of the country, bomber air arm units have twice participated in the joint operational manoeuvres of various services, achieving general excellence. Operational aircraft can operate in a super long-range, high speed, all airspace, great in-depth and super visual range. The airborne weapon system has the long firing range, high precision, multi-functional and all-directional attacking capabilities. The missile troops can readily go into emergency action as organizationally assigned, all-personnel, full-equipped real soldiers without going through training just before going into battle and without supplementing personnel and equipment, with the operational performances of high precision of hits, quick operational reaction, large firing range and multi-attacking targets. A large batch of talent group with a high-level formal schooling and high qualities has been formed; a large number of pick airmen, crack gunners and bombing crackajacks have come to the fore. Army, division and regiment officers all can fly and can command; flying division commander can lead his unit in an air operation, while regiment commander can all engage in "all-weather" operation. Summarily to say, after 50 years' construction, the People's Air Force of China is no longer its past.