Paratroopers' achievements hailed by Xi

Aviation: Air Force shows its capabilities

President Xi Jinping has urged members of an elite airborne company of the People's Liberation Army Air Force to continue to hone their combat skills and achieve new feats.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a letter replying to paratroopers of the "Model Airborne Company", a time-honored unit under the PLA Air Force Airborne Corps.

The airborne company's predecessor was an infantry company of the Chinese People's Volunteers during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53), which took part in the Shangganling Campaign, known as the Battle of Triangle Hill in the West, in October 1952.

During the fierce battle, which later became one of the most documented and remembered combat episodes of the war, Huang Jiguang, a signalman in the company, sacrificed his life by using his body to block the enemy's machine gun fire in order to clear the way for his comrades.

To honor the hero, the company was later given an honorary title — The Company of Huang Jiguang.

"You have always learned from Huang Jiguang, inherited his heroic spirit, and striven to honor his name with your own achievements. You have made comprehensive progress and kept your unit an elite force. I am glad to know about your feats," Xi said in his letter.

He added that he hoped the paratroopers could always keep their missions in mind, cherish the company's honor and uphold its glorious traditions, and strengthen their courage and fighting capabilities, so they could become "airborne spears" capable of defeating the enemy and make new contributions to the Party and the people.

The president also extended his greetings to the paratroopers ahead of Army Day, which falls on Aug 1 each year.

In a recent letter, members of the airborne company told Xi about their lives and training, and also expressed their determination to honor the unit's title and fulfill their tasks.

This is the second time in the past week that Xi has given instructions to an air force unit.

On Wednesday, the president inspected the PLA Western Theater Command's air force headquarters in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province.

During the inspection tour, he stressed the need to enhance military preparedness and ensure airspace security by thoroughly carrying out regular air defense.

Xi called for an accelerated pace of pushing new equipment and forces to form combat forces. The new equipment and forces should be integrated into the current combat systems, he added.

The president also said that efforts should be made to arrange more realistic combat exercises, concentrate training resources on difficult tactics and maneuvers, and seek better results from training.

The PLA Air Force has displayed the outstanding skills of its pilots and the powerful capability of its aircraft at a recent air show, according to military experts.

"The most notable part of this year's air show in Changchun was the tactical maneuvers conducted by the YY-20 large aerial refueling aircraft, including the short-taxiing takeoff and high-agility snake maneuver, as well as its grouping with the J-20 stealth fighter jets and the J-16 multirole strike planes," said Wang Mingzhi, a professor with the PLA Air Force Command College in Beijing.

He was referring to flight performances at the 2023 Air Force Open-House Activity and Changchun Air Show that ran from Wednesday to Sunday in Changchun, capital of Jilin province.

"In last year's Changchun activity, the Air Force published a picture of the YY-20, J-20 and J-16 flying in a group. And this year, these three types of advanced planes appeared together in flight performances in front of spectators in Changchun, showing their joint operation capability," Wang said.

"The flying formations of the multijet group indicated how these types of aircraft would cooperate in combat exercises. The YY-20's maneuvers were well designed to show its maneuverability and intrigue the spectators."

Fu Qianshao, an aviation equipment expert who served in the PLA Air Force for decades, said the aerobatic stunts performed by the PLA Air Force August 1st Aerobatics Team, China's best-known aerobatic team, at the Changchun air show have value in both performance and actual aerial combat.

"Their performances showed that the training and exercises for Air Force aviators are very close to real combat scenarios. The Air Force has concentrated all of its attention to combat training and drills," he said.