PLA AEW&C, SIGINT, EW and MPA thread

ladioussupp

ladioussupp

Junior Member
Deino said:
One minor detail that surprises me the most - even if expected for some time - is the serial number:

So far only the 2. Naval Aviation Division operates these Y-8-special Mission types: the 4. Regiment the AEW/C model, the 5. AR for ASW (for me the first "natural" receiver of the GX-6) + helicopters and the 6. AR for EW/ELINT and so on.

Now for the first time a new division receives such specialized types and even more for a long time being, PLANAF regiments used commonly the second number in their 5-digit serial to denote the AR within a Division, that usually comprises of only 3 Regiments .... now the 5 in the 85x9x-serial could be a hint for an expansion of Divisions to have more regiments ....


Just an idea

Deino
Click to expand...

Naval Aviation 9th Div. originally has 25th regiment operating J-8D/F and J-11BS and 27th regiment operating JH-7A. It is rumored that 9th Division would be expanded as a composite wing including fighter, attacker, bomber, tanker, AEW&C, and ASW. And the reorganized 9th Div. would be responsible for South China Sea area.

The Gao-Xing regiment proves part of this rumor.
 
Deino

Deino

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ladioussupp said:
Naval Aviation 9th Div. originally has 25th regiment operating J-8D/F and J-11BS and 27th regiment operating JH-7A. It is rumored that 9th Division would be expanded as a composite wing including fighter, attacker, bomber, tanker, AEW&C, and ASW. And the reorganized 9th Div. would be responsible for South China Sea area.

The Gao-Xing regiment proves part of this rumor.
Click to expand...


Yes exactly, and this could also mean a few more things:

- it seems as if other Divisions could / will (?) follow this trend and become true "multirole" units
- an overall expansion of types and number of aircrafts could be done not by forming new Divisions, but by adding additional regiments to the already existing ones: let me just spin around my mind a bit, but such a "multirole" unit could constist of 5 "subunits" regradless they are designated. One or two with fighters, one for attack, one for support/transport, one for special mission ... just an idea.

Ohhh these times agre getting more and more interesting,
Deino
 
ladioussupp

ladioussupp

Junior Member
Deino said:
Yes exactly, and this could also mean a few more things:

- it seems as if other Divisions could / will (?) follow this trend and become true "multirole" units
- an overall expansion of types and number of aircrafts could be done not by forming new Divisions, but by adding additional regiments to the already existing ones: let me just spin around my mind a bit, but such a "multirole" unit could constist of 5 "subunits" regradless they are designated. One or two with fighters, one for attack, one for support/transport, one for special mission ... just an idea.

Ohhh these times agre getting more and more interesting,
Deino
Click to expand...

Yes, it is getting more and more interesting.

It is said that Laoning carrier is treated as a "division". And of course, her carrier-borne wing must be multirole or composite. In a foreseeable future, a second carrier and carrier-borne composite wings are coming.

In my humble opinion, following the same logic, at least part of the shore-based "naval aviation divisions" may be transformed into a composite wing. Naval aviation "divisions", no matter carrier-borne or shore-based, become a kind of joint war-fighting air commands cooperating with ships and boats. Commanders and staff officers of naval aviation have to live in a common joint war-fighting culture and to think jointly and synchronously. Therefore all officers can be smoothly transferred among all "divisional" commands.

Let's wait and see what happens next.
 
Blitzo

Blitzo

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Deino said:
Yes exactly, and this could also mean a few more things:

- it seems as if other Divisions could / will (?) follow this trend and become true "multirole" units
- an overall expansion of types and number of aircrafts could be done not by forming new Divisions, but by adding additional regiments to the already existing ones: let me just spin around my mind a bit, but such a "multirole" unit could constist of 5 "subunits" regradless they are designated. One or two with fighters, one for attack, one for support/transport, one for special mission ... just an idea.

Ohhh these times agre getting more and more interesting,
Deino
Click to expand...

A good idea, and I think it is likely as PLANAF continues to mature.

However I'd also like to see dedicated PLANAF divisions of ASW MPAs, made up only of regiments of Y-8GX6 and/or whatever future MPAs they may develop in later decades.
Let's say, an ASW-MPA division for each fleet, each with three regiments of birds, each regiment 10 strong, for a total of 90 MPAs, not including the MPAs in the "composite" divisions.
The ASW and MPA mission is one which is very dependent on having a constant, enduring presence in the air both at peacetime and wartime, and the PLA are facing a very potent submarine threat in a wide body of water close to home, so I think the numbers I'm suggesting are necessary for a confident and capable PLA ASW capability able to prosecute ASW threats with persistence say up to the 1st island chain... though at the time when PLANAF only has two or three MPAs newly commissioned, desiring a 100+ strong MPA fleet may seem like a pie in the sky.

It is a long term goal, let's put it that way.
 
Deino

Deino

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Another requirement quite urgent to be fulfilled is my desire for a full-size, high-resolution image of an operational Y-8Q without such a nasty stamp or watermark on it.

Deino
 
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