China’s air force sees major improvements

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China’s air force sees major improvements
By Christopher Bodeen - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Nov 5, 2009 15:18:53 EST

BEIJING — China’s rapidly modernizing air force is planning a display of its new military might for its 60th anniversary, showcasing a wide-ranging technical upgrade that has boosted its capabilities, though it still lags far behind its main rival, the United States.

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force is marking the occasion this Sunday with an aerial show and skydiving exhibition, using some of the state-of-the-art combat aircraft that have replaced hundreds of antiquated MIG fighters.

While only about 20 percent of those planes are on a level with those deployed by the West, that ratio is already double what it was five years ago, said Cheung Tai Ming, an expert on the Chinese military at the University of California, San Diego.

In another two decades, it could become the region’s dominant air force, Cheung said.

“In terms of hardware,” he said, China’s air force “is making strides but still has long way to go.”


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/11/ap_china_air_force_110509/