China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

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jamwal
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China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by jamwal »

CHINESE ARMED FORCES ORDER OF BATTLE (ORBAT)
In 2017, 18 Group Armies (GA, similar to Corps in other militaries) were reorganised into 13 GAs. Air Force, Navy, Rocket forces are being included in these new GAs under new designations. Previously 7 Military Regions(MR) have been converted in to five Theater Commands (TC) Northern, Southern, Central, Eastern and Western. Space, Cyber and Electronic warfare has been consolidated under Strategic Support Force.

MRs were responsible for a wide range of combat and non-combat functions such as management, command, peacetime operations and force building. Additionally, in case of a war, command staff drawn from Beijing would be in command. New TCs are responsible for only training and joint operations. Rest of the functions have been given to other organisations.
Among a few other things, this allows the Central Military Commission (CMC) to have direct authority over Chinese armed forces. Many of these reforms seem to be based on changing US war doctrines. How will Chinese manage remains to be seen. CMC now has:

6 Departments:
  • Logistical Support: Overall logistics command
    Political Work: Political control through commissars.
    Joint Staff: Operational planning, logistics and strategy,
    Training & Administration: Training command.
    Equipment Development: Technological R&D, acquisition & maintenance.
    National Defence Mobilisation Development: Management & mobilisation of reserve forces.
3 Commissions
  • Politics & Law: Military law & governance.
    Science & technology: Development and liaising with civil scientific fields
    Discipline Inspection: Organisational cohesiveness.
6 Offices
  • General Office
    Administration
    Auditing,
    International Cooperation
    Reform & Organisation Structure
    Strategic Planning
Chairman of CMC, who is also the President of China Xi Jinping now has direct command and leadership over the entirety of Chinese armed forces through this structure. Under the new structure, the Armies will have Combined Arms Brigades and a few support brigades. Each TC has ground and air forces under its command in addition to conventional missile units. Northern, Eastern and Southern commands also have naval units

Image

Composition of Group Army : -
  • 6 Combined Arms Brigades
    Six Support Brigades
    1 Artillery
    1 Air Defense
    1 Army aviation or Air Assault
    Special Operations
    Engineer
    Service Support
Combined Arms Brigade are classified as light (mountain or light mechanised) or heavy (mechanised infantry or armoured)

Composition of Combined Arms Brigade : -
  • 4 Combined Arms Battalions
    1 Artillery Battalion
    1 Air Defense Battalion
    1 Combat Support Battalion
    1 Logistic Support Battalion
    1 Reconnaissance Battalion
    1 Guard & Service Company
Battalion Command
After discarding Soviet system of command in which regimental HQs did most of planning and staff work for battalions. PLA has now eliminated regiments from chain of command. Battalions will now be capable of planning and executing operations independently. Battalion Commander directly commands a deputy battalion commander, master sergeant, chief of staff and four non-commissioned officers.

Further, a battalion will have following staff personnel:
  • Operations and Reconnaissance Officer
    Artillery and engineering officer??
    Communications officer
    Support Officer
Brigades
  • Army Aviation Brigades (AAB): 15. Each GA and Xinjiang and Tibet MDs are assigned an AAB. Personnel and aircraft from 7 brigades, 5 regiments and new equipment were used for their creation.

    Special Operations Forces Brigades (SOFB) : 16. Created from existing 9 SOFBs, 2 regiments and new personnel.

    Support Brigades: 87

    Marine Brigades: 6. One motorised infantry brigade in Shandong, coastal defense units in Fujian, Shandong were consolidated into 4 new marine brigades. South Sea Fleet under Southern TC already had two MBs. Now Northern and Eastern TCs have two new MBs each.

SOUTHERN THEATER COMMAND. Guangzhou, Guangdong
AREA OF OPERATIONS:
LAND: Hunan, Guangxi,, Hainan, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau. Laos and Myanmar borders.
MARITIME: South China Sea

NOTES
Rocket Force’s 61 Base (Formerly 51 Base) is one of biggest bases for conventional missiles, most or all of which will be assigned to Eastern TC. But control of nuclear missiles will remain under direct control of CMC.
It will support Eastern TC in Taiwan theater

74th Group Army (Former 41st Group Army)
  • 1st Combined Arms Brigade
    16th Combined Arms Brigade
    125th Combined Arms Brigade
    132nd Combined Arms Brigade
    154th Combined Arms Brigade
    163rd Combined Arms Brigade??
    74th Artillery Brigade
    74th Air Defence Brigade
    74th Joint Logistics Support Brigade
    74th Engineering Brigade
    74th Special Operations Brigade
    75th Group Army (Former 42nd Group Army)
    18th Combined Arms Brigade (Formerly 18th Armoured Brigade of 14th GA)??
    31st Combined Arms Brigade
    32nd Combined Arms Brigade
    42nd Combined Arms Brigade89j-7d
    122nd Combined Arms Brigade
    123rd Combined Arms Brigade
    121st Air Assault (para??)
    75th Artillery Brigade
    75th Air Defence Brigade
    75th Joint Logistics Support Brigade
    75th Engineering Brigade
    75th Special Operations Brigade
    Decommissioned: 14th Group Army
South Sea Fleet (Naval)

Aircraft Carrier: Shandong
Landing Ships
  • Type 072A. Yuting III class. 4800 t
    6 ships, Huading, Luoxiao, Daiyun, Wanyang, Laotie and Luhua
    Type 072III. Yuting II class. 4800 t
    1 ship. Emei
    Type 072II Yuting Class. 4170t
    3 ships.Donting, Helan, Liupan
    Type 071 Amphibious Transport Dock, Yuzhao Class. 25000t
    5 ships. Kunlun, Jinggang, Changbai, Wuzhi and Qilian
Destroyers
  • Type 052D, Luyang III Class, 7500 t
    3 ships. Kunming, Changsha, Hefei, Yinchuan
    Type 052C, Luyang II Class, 6300 t
    2 ships. Lanzhou and Haikou
    Type 052B, Luyang I Class, 5900 t
    2 Ships, Guangzhou and Wuhan
    Type 051B, Luhai Class, 6100 t
    1 Ship, Shenzhen
Frigates
  • Type 054A, Jiangkai II Class. 4200 t
    10 ships. Huangshan, Hengyang, Yuncheng, Yulin, Hengshiu, Liuzhou, Yueyang, Sanya, Xuchang
    Type 053H3 Jiangwei II Class. 2400 t
    2 Ships. Xianning and Luoyang.
    Type 053H1 Jianghu Class. 2000 t
    3 Ships. Dandong, Shaoguan and Zhaotong
Corvettes
  • Type 056, Jiangdao Class. 1500 t
    3 ships. Baise, Luzhao, Qingyuan.
    Type 056A, Jiangdao Class. 1500 t
    17 ships. Suqian, Jingmen, Qujing, Liupanshui, Hanzhong, Guangyuan, Sunung, Nanchong, Bazhong, Wuzhou, Wenshan, Panzhihua, Ganzhou, Enshi, Guangan, Yongzhou, Suizhou
Fleet Replenishment
  • Type 904B & A General Stores Issue Ship, Dayun Class. 15000 t
    4 Ships. Lugu, Jushan, Fuxian, Dongting
    Type 903 & A replenishment ship, Fuchi I and II Class. 25000t
    3 Ships. Weishan, Hong, Luoma
    Type 908 replenishment ship, Fusu Class. 37000 t
    1 Ship. Qinghai
Air Assets
  • 4th Fighter Brigade, Foshan
    Su-27SK, J-11, Su-27UBK.
    5th Fighter Brigade, Guilin
    J-10B, J-10C. J-10S, Nanning,
    6th Fighter Brigade, Suixi
    Su-30MKK, Su-35S
    25th Fighter Brigade, Shantou
    J-7E
    26th Fighter Brigade, Huiyang.
    J-16.
    27th Fighter Brigade, Pulandian,
    J-7D,
    52nd Fighter Brigade, Wuhan
    J-7G, JJ-7A.
    54th Fighter Brigade, Changsha
    Su-30MKK,
    96th Fighter Brigade
    98th Fighter Brigade
    99th Fighter Brigade
    8th Bomber Division
    13th Transport Division
    20th Special Missions Division
    Unmanned Attack Brigade, Yangtang??
    J-6 Drones. 2nd Dadui.
    Transport & SAR Brigade. Guangzhou
    Y-7, Z-8K, Z-9, Mi-17.
    Independent Helicopter Regiment. Hong Kong
    Z-8KH, Z-9WZ, Z-9ZH.
    UAV Battalion
    GJ-2 Wing Loong II. Mangshi.
Air Bases
  • Kunming
    Nanning
WESTERN THEATER COMMAND Guangzhou, Guangdong
AREA OF OPERATIONS:
LAND: Sichuan, Chongqing and Tibet. India, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan borders.
MARITIME: None.

NOTES
Major focus on India. Naval conflict would be through Southern?? TC’s Naval Fleet.

76th Group Army (Former 21st Group Army)
76th Artillery Brigade.
PHL-03 and 122mm MBRLs, Type 66 152mm howitzer, PYZ89 SPATG.
14th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade
77th Group Army (Former 13th Group Army)
Decommissioned: 47th Group Army

No naval fleet

Air Assets
  • 16th Fighter Brigade
    Ürümqi Base. J-11,Su-27SK, J-11BS Su-27UBK
    36th Bomber Division
    Wugong and Lintong Airbases. H-6M/6K, Can launch 3-4 CJ-10
    108th Air Regiment
    4th Transport Division
    10th Air Regiment, Y-9
    11th Air Regiment, Y-9
    12th Air Regiment, Y-7, Y-7H, Y-20, Mi-17v
Air Bases
  • Lanzhou
    Urumqi
    Xi’an Flying Academy
TIBET MILITARY DIVISION
PLA had 3 line brigades (52nd, 53rd and 54th mountain brigades) deployed in Tibet. 15th Airborne Corps from Wuhan was assigned in 2016-17 in response to Indian new mountain strike corps.
It had 3 Divisions (43rd, 44th and 45th) which were reformed into 6 independent brigades (127th, 128th, 130th, 131st, 133rd and 134th). It’ll also have a Special Operations Brigade, an aviation brigade and a Strategic Support Brigade (Communications and Engineering). Total of 9 independent brigades under one Corps HQ.
52nd Mountain Infantry Brigade (4600 troops)
  • Unit 77675, Mountain Infantry battalion. 700 troops.
    Unit 77678, Artillery regiment. 1100 troops.
    1st Infantry Battalion. 700 troops
    2nd Infantry Battalion. 700 troops
    3rd Infantry Battalion. 700 troops
    4th Infantry Battalion. 700 troops
53rd Mountain Infantry Brigade (4600 troops)
  • Unit 77680, Mountain Infantry battalion. 700 troops.
    Unit 77683, Artillery regiment. 1100 troops.
    1st Infantry Battalion. 700 troops
    2nd Infantry Battalion. 700 troops
    3rd Infantry Battalion. 700 troops
    4th Infantry Battalion. 700 troops
54th Mechanised Infantry Brigade (3000 troops)

308th Mechanised Infantry Brigade (3000 troops)
Independent Battalions ??
  • Unit 77655, Gyantse County 1st (I) Infantry Battalion. Bhutan border. 700 troops.
    Unit 77656, Gangba County 2nd (I) Infantry Battalion. 700 troops
    Medog County 3rd (I) Infantry Battalion. 700 troops
    Milin 4th (I) Infantry Battalion. 700 troops
    Luoza County 5th (I) Infantry Battalion. Bhutan border. 700 troops
  • Unit 77629, 1st Border Defense Regiment. 2800 troops. Bhutan & India Border
    Unit 77635, 2nd Border Defense Regiment. 2800 troops. Bhutan & India Border
    Unit 77639, 3rd Border Defense Regiment. 2800 troops. Nepal & India Border.
    Unit 77643, 4th Border Defense Regiment. 2800 troops. India Border.
    Unit 77646, 5th Border Defense Regiment. 2800 troops. Nepal Border
    Unit 77649, 6th Border Defense Regiment. India border
    Nathu La Outpost, 6th Border Defense Regiment.
    9th Border Defense Regiment
15th Airborne Corps
  • 127th (I) Brigade
    128th (I) Brigade
    130th (I) Brigade
    131st (I) Brigade
    133rd (I) Brigade
    134th (I) Brigade
    Special Operations Brigade
    Strategic Support Brigade
    Aviation Brigade
CENTRAL THEATER COMMAND. Beijing
AREA OF OPERATIONS:
LAND: Beijing, Hebei, Shanxi and Tianjin.
MARITIME: South China Sea

NOTES
It has no naval fleet, but has a few naval training and aviation bases. Apparently it doesn’t not have any naval vessels but controls a few other service branches of navy.

81st Group Army (Former 65th Group Army)
  • 7th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade
    70th Light Combined Arms Brigade Tangshan Prefecture, Hebei Province
    189th Medium Combined Arms Brigade
    194th Combined Arms Brigade
    195th Heavy Combined Army Brigade. Yutian County, Hebei Province
    162nd Motorised Infantry Division??
82nd Group Army (Former 38th Group Army)
  • 6th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade, Nankou Town Area, Changping District
    80th Medium Combined Arms Brigade
    151st Heavy Combined Arms Brigade
    188th Heavy Combined Army Brigade.
    196th Light Combined Arms Brigade.
    127th Light Mechanised Infantry Division??
83rd Group Army (Former 54th Group Army)
  • 11th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade
    58th Medium Combined Arms Brigade, Xuchang Prefecture, Henan Province
    60th Medium Combined Arms Brigade, Xinyang Prefecture, Henan Province
    113th Combined Army Brigade. Baoding Prefecture, Hebei Province
    131st Combined Arms Brigade.
    193rd Medium Combined Arms Brigade.
    3rd (I) Combined Arms Brigade (Former 3rd Motorised Infantry Brigade of 1st GA
    112nd (I) Mechanised Infantry Division (Formerly with 1st GA)
    Decommissioned: 20th and 27th Group Army
No naval fleet

Air Assets
  • 19th Fighter Brigade
    55th Fighter Brigade
    56th Fighter Brigade
    70th Fighter Brigade
    71st Fighter Brigade
    72nd Fighter Brigade
    43rd Multirole Brigade
    44th Multirole Brigade
Air Bases
  • Datong
    Wuhan
    Shijiazhuang Flying Academy

NORTHERN THEATER COMMAND. Shenyang, Liaoning
AREA OF OPERATIONS:
LAND: Jilin, Heilongjiang and Shenyang and Inner Mongolia.
MARITIME: Bay of Korea
  • 78th Group Army (Former 16th Group Army)
    78th Special Combat Brigade (Formerly Special Operations Brigade of 16th GA)
    79th Group Army (Former 39th Group Army)
    80th Group Army (Former 26th Group Army)
    116th (I) Mechanised Infantry Division (Formerly with 39th GA)
Decommissioned: 40th Group Army

North Sea Fleet
Aircraft Carrier: Liaoning
Destroyers
  • Type 055, Renhai Class (cruiser?) 13000t
    1 Ship. Nanchang
    Type 052D, Luyang III Class. 7500 t
    6 ships. Xining, Urumqi, Guiyang, Chengdu, Qiqhar and Tangshan
    Type 051C Luzhou Class. 7100 t
    2 Ships. Shenyang amd Shijiazhuang
    Type 052, Luhu Class. 4800 t
    2 Ships. Harbin and Qingdao
Frigates
  • Type 054A, Jiangkai II Class. 4200 t
    8 Ships. Yancheng, Linyi, Weifang, Daqing, Handan, Wuhu, Rizhao, Zaozhuang
    Type 053H3, Jiangwei II Class. 2400 t
    2 Ships. Yichang and Huludao.
Corvettes
  • Type 056 & A, Jiangdao Class. 1500 t
    14 ships. Datong, Yingkou, Weihai, Fishun, Zinyang, Huangshi, Qinhuangdaom Wuhai, Zhangye, Dingzhou, Zhangijakou, Mudanjiang, Songyuan, Pingdingshan
Landing Ships
  • Type 072A and 072III. Yuting III and II Class. 4800 t
    5 Ships. Tianzhu, Daqing, Yandang, Jiuhua and Huanggang.
Fleet Replenishment
  • Type 903A replenishment ship, Fuchi II Class. 25000 t
    3 Ships. Tai, Dongping, Kekezili
Air Assets
  • 15th Attack Brigade
    31st Attack Brigade
    32nd Attack Brigade
    34th Fighter Brigade
    35st Fighter Brigade
    36th Fighter Brigade
    61st Fighter Brigade
    63rd Fighter Brigade
    16th Special Missions Division
Air Bases
  • Dalian
    Jinan
    Harbin Flying Academy
EASTERN THEATER COMMAND. Nanjing, Jiangsu
AREA OF OPERATIONS:
LAND: Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian and Jianxi
MARITIME: East China Sea and Taiwan.

NOTES
Rocket Force’s 61 Base (Formerly 51 Base) is one of biggest bases for conventional missiles, most or all of which will be assigned to Eastern TC. But control of nuclear missiles will remain under direct control of CMC.


East Fleet Commander will serve as deputy theater commander and commander of all naval forces in Eastern TC.


73rd Group Army (Former 31st Group Army)
  • 3rd Combined Arms Brigade (Formerly 3rd Motorised Infantry Brigade of 31st GA)
    14th Combined Arms Brigade (Formerly 14th Amphibious Armoured Brigade)
    86th Combined Arms Brigade (Formerly 86th Motorised Division)
    91st Combined Arms Brigade (91st Motorized Infantry Division of 31st GA)
    92nd Combined Arms Brigade
    163rd Combined Arms Brigade
    73rd Artillery Brigade
    73rd Air Defence Brigade
    73rd Special Operations Brigade
71st Group Army (Former 12th Group Army)
  • 2nd Combined Arms Brigade
    35th Combined Arms Brigade
    160th Combined Arms Brigade
    178th Combined Arms Brigade
    179th Combined Arms Brigade
    235th Combined Arms Brigade
    71st Artillery Brigade
    71st Air Defence Brigade
72nd Group Army (Former 1st Group Army)
  • 5th Combined Arms Brigade
    10th Combined Arms Brigade
    34th Combined Arms Brigade ((Formerly 86th Mechanised Infantry Brigade of 12th GA)
    85th Combined Arms Brigade
    90th Combined Arms Brigade
    124th Combined Arms Brigade
    72nd Artillery Brigade
    72nd Air Defence Brigade
East Sea Fleet (Naval)
Destroyers
  • Type 052D, Luyang III Class. 7500 t
    4 ships.Xiamen, Nanjing, Taiyun and Zibo
    Type 052C, Luyang II Class. 6500 t
    4 ships.Changchun, ZHengzhou, Jinan and Xi’an.
    Type 051C Luzhou Class. 7100 t
    2 Ships. Shenyang amd Shijiazhuang
    Sovremenny, Sovremenny Class. 7900 t
    4 Ships. Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Taizhou and Ningbo
Frigates
  • Type 054A, Jiangkai II Class. 4200 t
    13 Ships. Zuzhou, Zhoushan, Yiyang, Changzhou, Huanggang, Yangzhou, Jingzhou, BinzhouAnyang, Nantong, Ma’anshan and Wenzhou
    Type 053H3, Jiangwei II Class. 2400 t
    3 Ships. Sanming, ZIangyang, Huaihua
    Type 053H1G Jiangwei II Class. 2000 t
    4 ships.Beihai, Dongguan, SHantou and Foshan.
Corvettes
  • Type 056 & A, Jiangdao Class. 1500 t
    25 ships. Bengbu, Shangrao, Ji’an, Jieyang, Quanzhou, CHaozhou, Suzhou, Huaian, Heze, Baoding, Ningde, Sanmenxia, Zhuzou, Tongren, Ezhou, Yiwu, Xuancheng, Yichun, Deyang, SHuozhou, Luan, Liaocheng, Luan, Liaocheng, Taian, Jingdezhen and Xiaogan
Fleet Replenishment
  • Type 903 & A replenishment ship, Fuchi II Class. 25000 t
    3 Ships. Qiandao, Chao and Gaoyo.
Air Assets
  • 10th Bomber Division
    40th Fighter Brigade
    41st Fighter Brigade
    42nd Fighter Brigade
    26th Special Mission Division
    83rd Attack Brigade
Air Bases
  • Fuzhou
    Shanghai
PLA ROCKET FORCE
Formerly 2nd Artillery Corps, PLA Rocket Force is now considered a separate service branch in itself with 90,000 to 1,20,000 personnel. It seems like the TC in their respective areas may command some of the resources of certain units belonging to PLARF.
This command is led by a full general and theater leader grade officer is assigned as Political Commissar. 6 Army Leader grade officers command 6 bases (or armies) numbered 61-66 with subordinate launch brigades and regiments. There is a Base 67 (formerly Force 22) which stockpiles nuclear weapons. Base 61 operates only conventional missiles. There are between 90000 to 1,20,000 personnel.
There are 3 training bases and 1 engineering base.

Missile Base Structure: Each such base has a local HQ with multiple launch units.
3-5 Missile Brigades
Launch Battalions and/or Launch Companies. They can operate mobile or silo based missiles. Some have cave storage to launch site system .

Each brigade may have hundreds or just a handful of missiles depending upon its role. Conventional missile brigades usually have a larger number of missiles with up to 30-36 launchers with 2-6 missiles on each. Nuclear missile brigades usually have 6-8 missile launchers or silos or cave sites.

NOTE: It’s not clear whether anti-satellite and BMD assets are with PLARF or SSF.
Missile Bases

Base 61. HQ at Huangshan, Anhui
  • 611 Brigade, Chizhou. DF-21
    612 Brigade, Jingdezhen. DF-21A
    613 Brigade, Shangaro, DF-15B
    614 Brigade, Yon’gan. DF-11A
    615 Brigade, Meizhou, DF-11A
    616 Brigade, Ganzhou. DF-15
    617 Brigade, Jinhua. DF-15
Base 62. HQ at Kumming, Yunnan.
  • 621 Brigade, Yibin. DF-21A
    622 Brigade, Yuxi. DF-31A
    623 Brigade, Liuzhou. DH-10A
    624 Brigade, Qingyuan DF-21D
    625 Brigade, Jianshui. DF-21??
    626 Brigade, Qingyuan, DF-21C/D, DF-26 ??
    627 Brigade??, Puning?? ???
Base 63, HQ at Huaihua, Hunan.
  • 631 Brigade, Jingzhou. DF-5B
    632 Brigade, Shaoyang. DF-31
    633 Brigade, Huitong. DF-5A.
    634 Brigade, ?? ???
    635 Brigade, Yichun. DH-10
    636 Brigade. Shaoguan. DF-16
    637 Brigade ?? ???
Base 64, Lanzhou.
  • 641 Brigade, Hancheng. DF-31
    642 Brigade, Datong. DF-31A
    643 Brigade, Tianshui, DF-31A
    644 Brigade, Hanzhong. ??
    645 Brigade, ??? ??
    646 Brigade, Korle. DF-21B/C??
    Base 65, Shenyang
    651 Brigade, Dalian. DF-21
    652 Brigade, Tonghua. DF-21C/D??
    653 Brigade. Laiwu. DF-21C
    654 Brigade. Dalian.??
Base 66, Luoyang
  • 661 Brigade, Lingbao. DF-5B
    662 Brigade, Luanchuan. DF-4 or DF-5A
    663 Brigade, Nanyang. DF-31A
    664 Brigade Luoyang. ??
    665 Brigade ?? ??
    666 Brigade, Xinyang. DF-26
CHINESE MISSILES

NAME
NUMBERS
RANGE (km)
STORAGE
PROPULSION


BALLISTIC MISSILES
DF-21
40-50
1700
Road mobile
Solid


DF-21A
40-50
1700
Road mobile
Solid


DF-21C
25-30
1700
Road mobile
Solid


DF-21D


1500
Road Mobile
Solid
Anti ship
DF-26
16-20
4-5000
Road mobile
Solid


DF-31
6-10
7000+
Road mobile
Solid


DF-31A
15-20
11000+
Road Mobile
Solid


DF-41
??
15000
Road mobile
Solid
Under development
DF-3A
10-15??
3000
Road mobile
Liquid
Old
DF-4
10-15
5500
Silo
Liquid
Old
DF-5A
15-20
12000+
Silo
Liquid


DF-15/M-9
90-100
600
Road mobile
Solid


DF-15A
850
Road Mobile
Solid


DF-15B
750
Road Mobile
Solid


DF-16


800
Road Mobile
Solid


DF-11/M-11
100-140
300
Road Mobile
Solid


DF-11A
600
Road mobile
Solid


JL-1
??
1700
SLBM
Solid
Retired?
JL-2
48
7000
SLBM
Solid
Type 094 submarines












CRUISE MISSILES
CJ-10/DH-10


1500
Multiple
Subsonic
LACM
YJ-63/KD-63


200
Air, H6 bomber
Subsonic
LACM
KD-88


200
Air
Subsonic


YJ-18


220-240
Multiple
Supersonic in Terminal
AShM, LACM
YJ-62


290-400
Multiple
Subsonic
AShM
YJ-7


25
Multiple
Subsonic
AShM
YJ-8/C-801


42
Multiple
Subsonic
AShM
YJ-82


42
Submarine
Subsonic
AShM
YJ-83


120
Multiple
Subsonic
AShM
YJ-83A/J


180
Multiple
Subsonic
AShM
YJ-91/KH-31P


110
Multiple
Supersonic
AShM, LACM Anti-radiation
YJ-100/KD-20


1500-2000
Air??/Land
Subsonic
LACM
AS-13/KH-59MK


115
Su-30MKK
Subsonic
AShM, LACM
SS-N-22 Moskit


240
Sovremenny ships
Supersonic
AShM, LACM
SS-N-27B Kalibr


200
Kilo Submarine
Supersonic
AShM, LACM
Changfeng


800
Land
Subsonic
LACM




STRATEGIC SUPPORT FORCE

This organisation seems to be heavily influenced by US Cyber Command and US Strategic Command. SSF was formed using Space, Cyber and Electronic Warfare units from CMC’s General Political Department GPD (formerly General Staff Department GSD), Political Work Department PWD (formerly General Political Department GPD), Equipment Development Department EDD (formerly General Armament Department GAD) and Logistics Support Department LSD (formerly General Logistics Department GLD). It’s also believed that some of the functions of these departments have been transferred to some PLA units too.

Chinese doctrine places emphasis on what they claim to be multi-dimensional war fighting capabilities which include new ways of non-kinetic warfare which include hacking of computer networks, space warfare, psychological warfare, political warfare, propaganda, data theft and espionage. In this regard, it’s more than just likely that CMC is actively indulging in corporate data theft as a way of warfare through Chinese companies and overseas citizens.

In peacetime, SSF is commanded by CMC’s Joint Staff Department Operations Bureau or it’s Joint Operations Command Center.

BASIC STRUCTURE OF SSF
  • Strategic Support Force
    Staff Department
    Logistics Department
    Equipment Department
    Space Systems Department
    Network Systems Department
    Political Work Department.
SSF Space Systems Department Units

Space Launch & Support
  • Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
    20th Testing and Training Base
    Oldest and largest launch site, sole base for human spaceflight launches.

    Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center
    25th Testing and Training Base
    Satellites for sun-synchronous and low-earth orbits.

    Xichang Satellite Launch Center
    27th Testing and Training Base
    Geosynchronous satellites. Maintains mobile tracking stations.

    Wenchang Aerospace Launch Site
    Long March 5 heavy rockets and National Defense University.
Space Base C4ISR
  • Aerospace Reconnaissance Bureau : Space based surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.
    Satellite Communications Main Station: Space based communications.
    Satellite Positioning Main Station: Military use of Beidou navigation System
Telemetry Tracking and Control (TT&C)
  • 23rd Test & Training Base.
    26th Testing and Training Base.
    Xi’an Satellite Control Center: Telemetry, tracking and control network
    Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center : Manned spaceflight program
    China Satellite Maritime Tracking & Control Department: Maritime TT&C for space launches & ICBM tests. Has Yuanwang tracking ship.

SSF Network Systems Departments Units
  • Operations & Administration
    Regional Satellite Station, Hainan (Could be in SSD)
    Satellite Main Station, Beijing (Could be in SSD)
    Electronic Countermeasure Center
    Beidaihe ECM Brigade Detachment
    Langfang ECM Brigade Detachment, Yingtan
    Electronic Countermeasure Brigade, Langfang
    Electronic Countermeasure Brigade, Beidaihe
    4th PLA HQ. (Transferred to JSD as Network Electronic Bureau)

    54th Research Institute
    Electrical Engineering Institute. (Renamed National University of Defense Technology Electronic Countermeasures Institute)
LOGISTICS
In March 2016, PLA renamed General Logistics Department (GLD) as CMC’s Logistics Support Department (LSD) and created Joint Logistics Support Force (JLSF). Logistics management which includes training infrastructure and resource management is now done by LSD. JLSF plans and executes integrated joint logistics support for combat.

Central Military Commission (CMC)
  • Wuhan Joint Logistics Support Base
    Wuxi Joint Logistics Support Centre (Eastern TC)
    Guilin Joint Logistics Support Centre (Southern TC)
    Xining Joint Logistics Support Centre (Western TC)
    Shenyang Joint Logistics Support Centre (Northern TC)
    Zhengzhou Joint Logistics Support Centre (Central TC)

Original post with slightly better formatting : http://jjamwal.in/yayavar/chinese-armed ... tle-orbat/
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by jamwal »

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Post by jamwal »

Ramana ji is saying
"Good job!!!
Are you sure the divisions were regrouped in Western Theater Command? I believe 4 divisions still retained."
They are 4, 6, 8, and 11 Divisions. Interesting that despite reorganizing they retained division formations facing India.
Rohit Vats agrees with him
There are four divisions under Xinjiang Military District of WTC.
Gurmeet Kanwal says the same thing.
But I haven't found anything which confirms this. May be the vehicles have not been painted with new formation signs or there have been some logistical or bureau issues or something else. I find it hard to believe that all other military assets have been reorganised in to Theater commands while those deployed against India in Tibet haven't.

If they trust the reforms, Western TC should undergo same changes as the rest.
Any ideas?
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by jamwal »

Chinese Infantry Squads composition and weapons loadout.

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Chinese 77th Group Army ORBAT
This is one of 2 GAs (plus a few independent brigades & divisions) which will see action in case of Indo-China war in Tibet.
Chinese Combined Arms Brigades here are similar to Indian Integrated Battle Groups.
Image
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by Deans »

jamwal wrote:Ramana ji is saying
"Good job!!!
Are you sure the divisions were regrouped in Western Theater Command? I believe 4 divisions still retained."
They are 4, 6, 8, and 11 Divisions. Interesting that despite reorganizing they retained division formations facing India.
Rohit Vats agrees with him
There are four divisions under Xinjiang Military District of WTC.
Gurmeet Kanwal says the same thing.
But I haven't found anything which confirms this. May be the vehicles have not been painted with new formation signs or there have been some logistical or bureau issues or something else. I find it hard to believe that all other military assets have been reorganised in to Theater commands while those deployed against India in Tibet haven't.

If they trust the reforms, Western TC should undergo same changes as the rest.
Any ideas?
I had tried to research this question for my book. My best guess, they have retained these 4 divisions outside the Group armies. Two of these are
of course, currently facing us. It may be that their roles - intimidating the Xinjiang population and facing off against us in Ladakh require more infantry than what a group army provides for.
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by ramana »

These 4 divisions are facing India and Xinkiang, 2 each.
Division number are 4,6,8, and 11.

Look at Wiki for details and histories of these formations.
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by jamwal »

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1s Image: PLA Air Force #ORBAT and Structure till 2011 . It's fighters and ground attack aircraft were allotted to 14 divisions under 4 military regions and had 7 levels from PLAAF till Flight Squadron.

Image 2 and 3, Starting from 2017, Divisions were abolished & 94? Air Brigades created. Separate brigades were created for special mission aircrafts, UAVs, heavy bombers and transport. Fighters are under Theater Commands while rest are under administrative control of PLAAF HQ
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by jamwal »

LINK: http://jjamwal.in/yayavar/chinese-armed ... tle-orbat/
PDF: http://jjamwal.in/yayavar/wp-content/up ... -ORBAT.pdf

This is more or less most of Chinese ORBAT. If I find any good book or online sources, I'll update it. Taking a break for now.
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by VinodTK »



Guide to China's Modern Infantry Squads | Organization
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Post by jamwal »

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Chinese Marine Corps ORBAT.
They have used their existing forces to raise a few new units and army has kept atleast 5 combined arms brigade with itself for amphibious roles. Lots of troops for South China sea, Taiwan and others.
https://twitter.com/JaidevJamwal/status ... 1170460674
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Post by jamwal »

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1st draft of Chinese SAM site ORBAT
They probably have more air defence installations than Soviets, most of them on eastern sector.

Rahul M: Please check email.
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by rohitvats »

[Chinese Combined Arms Brigade]

- Combined Arms Brigade (CAB) has three types: Heavy, Medium and Light.
- Heavy and medium consist of mainly tanks and IFVs
- Each CAB has 8 battalions under it.
- 4 x Combined Arms Battalions (CABn) + 4 x Arms/Support Battalions
- Each CABn has 8 x companies.

Medium CAB - This will most likely consist of the following:

- 4 x IFV Companies (10 each)
- 1 x Tank Company (10 tanks)
- 1 x Fire Support Coy (6 x SP 120mm mortars or 122mm SP (Wheeled))
- 1 x Recce Company (Wheeled IFV)
- 1 x Tpt & Supply Coy

So, a Medium CAB will most likely have the following strength:

- 40 x 4 = 160 IFV
- 10 x 4 = 40 tanks.
- 12-15 Recce IFVs (wheeled)

- Plus, it has an arty battalion with a mix of tube and rocket artillery.
- And a an AD battalion with a mix of SPAAG and SAM based systems.

- A Supply & Transport Battalion.
- A Chemical and Engineering Bn.

- CAB structure has been created with flexibility of either dividing it into sub-units (2 x Regiment level Combat Teams) or marry 2 x CAB into a Division sized force.
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by ramana »

Rohit very good summary and last bullet explains the flexibility of the Chinese CAB.
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by ramana »

Can you write an article?
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by rohitvats »

ramana wrote:Can you write an article?
Finishing a paper on division level force structure required by us first, and where the news about 1 Corps being reoriented for Ladakh comes into play.
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by jamwal »

Mapping PLA Ground Forces in Tibet Region. Lots of units outside the Western Theater Command plus a few from Air Force too. Chinese know how to make this difficult for outsiders.

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Post by jamwal »

Some of Chinese Border Defense Regiments. Each has 3 battalions with 3 companies each + regimental HQ.
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Locations of units belonging to Chinese 52nd and 53rd mountain infantry brigades under Tibet MD. Each has 3-4 infantry battalions supported by one artillery regiment and perhaps 1-2 engineering & other support units.
Green lines are G-219 & S-306 highways
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by jamwal »

I don't know how to post all this data here. Could barely get it on website, please take a look.
Chinese Armed Forces ORBAT Part 3: Ground Forces ORBAT
http://jjamwal.in/yayavar/chinese-armed ... ces-orbat/
Following is the list of PLA ground forces divided among five different Theater Commands. Some of these TCs command a few independent brigades, divisions and even regiments in addition to regular Combined Arms Brigades. The data is collected from multiple sources which will be presented in the last post of this series.
In addition to regular PLA Army units, there are a few Border Defence Regiment units which usually form the first line of defence on borders during peacetime. They are lightly armed and meant for border patrols, marine patrols, reconnaissance, law & order, guard duty etc. Central TC has no such BDRs assigned to it.


This data is incomplete but as accurate as it can be at the time of writing (Jan 2021) and I’ll be adding updates and improving formatting whenever possible.
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by jamwal »

Again, too long and unwieldy to post here

Chinese Armed Forces ORBAT Part 4: Rocket Forces http://jjamwal.in/yayavar/chinese-armed ... et-forces/

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612 Brigade HQ

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Base 62 Technical Support Regiment

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Heiping Uranium Enrichment Facility 1

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3rd Engineering Regiment, Luoyang

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Sundian ICBM Complex. Huge place with a lot of interesting sites. Will need a few days to analyse fully.

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One of many huge tunnel storages

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624 Brigade, one of newer units with base still under construction

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One possible UAV station for Base 61
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by jamwal »

Chinese Air Force Orbat
In December 2011, PLAAF started creation of Air Brigade structure by upgrading 14 existing Air Regiment (AR) HQs and abolished 4 existing Air Division HQs. All the brigades were assigned to one of four Bases

New Command Structure for fighter and ground attack aircraft is as following:

PLAAF HQ
MRAF HQ
Base
Air Brigade
Flight Group
Flight Squadron

On the other hand, heavy bombers, transport and most of special mission aircraft (like refuellers?) air divisions are attached to PLAAF HQ, but tactical control most likely lies with the theater commander. As far as fighters and ground attack jets are concerned, new system puts them in independent brigade unit structure with no divisional HQ control.

Each combat air Brigade has 24 aircraft plus trainers in three to five battalion level flight groups, though most seem to have only three. There are five to six airframes as spares and reserves. But brigades comprising of foreign aircraft like Su-27 may not have such reserves. Chinese manufacturers produce aircraft in batches of ten, of which eight are operationally inducted while remaining two are considered reserves.

14 subordinate training brigades were created from former training regiments and control of flight college was given to PLAAF HQ from MRAF HQ. In 2017, more changes were implemented and are probably still going on. 23 Air Division HQs were abolished, most of remaining regiments were converted to brigades or were dissolved completely.

AIR COMBAT BRIGADE STRUCTURE
24 Aircraft + Trainers + 6 spares divided in 3-5 battalion grade flight groups (FG). Most brigades have 3 rather than 5 FGs.
Some air brigades with foreign aircraft like Su-27 don’t have any spares.
Training and some specialised brigades may have different structures.
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AWACS and other EW Aircraft in Chenggu

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One of 3 known airbases belonging to Chinese Airborne Corps
Rest of the data is in tables and google maps which can't be pasted here.
http://jjamwal.in/yayavar/chinese-armed ... air-force/
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by jamwal »

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Added some new data to Chinese Air Force page and made it a bit more readable. It's still difficult to include all information on a webpage, so left out a bit. Scroll down for map. Airbases are now coloured & classified by the the Command and types. Details about airstrips added in map entries.
Data is a bit more readable now on the webpage. http://jjamwal.in/yayavar/chinese-armed ... air-force/

Code: Select all

[b]Central TC				
Location	Units	LAT	LONG	AIRCRAFT[/b]
Dangyang  	"39th Air Regiment 
Xiongfeng    Aircraft Overhaul Factory"	 30°47'50.87"N	111°48'34.96"E	IL-76
Dingxing	   3rd Training Brigade	         39°15'17.88"N	115°49'46.27"E	JL-8
Huairen	43rd Air Brigade 	         39°42'59.10"N	113° 8'19.77"E	J-10A, J-10SY
Jining	55th Air Brigade 	         35°17'45.68"N	116°21'25.89"E	J-11, Su-27
Kaifeng	"13th Transport Div
37th Air Regiment"	                          34°45'13.96"N	114°20'28.64"E	Y-8, Y-20A
Lintong	107th/108th Air Regiment 	 34°22'24.93"N	109° 7'17.62"E	H-6M/6K
Paozhuwan	38th Air Regiment	  30°40'43.29"N	114°37'56.76"E	Il-76, Il-78
Qizhou	45th Air Regiment	          38°35'58.81"N	112°58'37.25"E	
Shangqiu	57th Air Brigade	          34°26'42.30"N	115°27'28.28"E	J-11B, Su-27SK
Shijiazhuang	"1st Training Brigade 
Factory 5721"	                                   38° 5'0.03"N	114°24'50.06"E	JL-10
Tangguantun	4th Training Brigade 	   38°47'17.14"N	117° 3'57.54"E	
Tangshan	20th Air Regiment	           39°43'10.09"N	117°59'47.09"E	J-7, JJ-7
Wudangshan	53rd Air Regiment	   32°23'27.22"N	111°41'43.02"E	 J-7, JJ-7
Wugong	"108th Air Regiment 
Factory 5702"	                                    34°16'21.76"N	 108°15'28.88"E	H-6
Xishanbeixiang	71st Air Regiment	    39° 9'17.74"N	115°17'38.56"E	J-7, JJ-7
Yangcun	"72nd Air Brigade 
1st August Aerial Demonstration Team"	 39° 9'17.74"N	115°17'38.56"E	"J-10C, J-10SY.
"
Yongji	2nd Training Brigade    	 34°52'13.73"N	110°21'37.47"E	JL-8
Yongning	21st Air Brigade        	 40°30'30.96"N	116° 6'55.70"E	J-7, JJ-7
Zhangjiakou	19th Air Brigade	 40°44'11.96"N	114°56'10.07"E	J-11
Zhengzhou	56th Air Brigade	 34°51'40.43"N	113°43'39.78"E	J-10B, J-10SY
Zhouzhou		 39°27'29.63"N	         115°59'46.12"E	Y-5, Z-8, Z-9
Zunhua	70th Air Brigade	         40° 6'8.19"N	117°52'54.47"E	J-10A, J-10SY
Chenggu	"Aerial Survey Regiment 
Shaanxi Aircraft Corp."	                  33° 8'4.53"N	107°12'4.74"E	"An-30, Y-8, Y-1
AWACS"



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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by jamwal »

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Locations of most of PLA units including some battalions belonging to 52nd, 53rd & 54th CABs under Tibet MD, Western Theater Command. Not many soldiers spread thin over a huge area.

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Lhasa is such a target rich environment for an Indian offensive. So many bases so close to each other which is very much unlike PLA in rest of their controlled territory. There is atleast 1 more base which I have not identified yet.


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55th Light CAB of 77 GA, meant for mountain warfare is the closest CAB HQ, located 173 km from Bhutan border. Rest are all 100s to 1000s km away.


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77th Special Operations Brigade

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17th Heavy CAB Xixia District, Yinchuan City, 76th GA. Its equipped with GSL-130 Combat Engineer Vehicles, ZBD04A ICVs and ZTZ99 tanks. Pretty strong on paper.

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149th Medium CAB, Litong District, Wuzhong City, Ningxia Hui of 76th GA. It was a Motr Inf Div earlier.

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150th Light CAB, Dongpo District, Meishan City, Sichuan of 77th GA.

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77th Army Aviation Brigade, Nyingzhi


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Locations of all known units of Chinese PLA's 78th Group Army, Northern Theater Command

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202nd Heavy CA and 78th Artillery Brigades are neighbours(?)

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204th Heavy CAB

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78th Special Ops Brigade. Getting some new toys & facilities.

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78th GA HQ & 8th Heavy CAB. Airbase 2km west.

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78th Air Defence Brigade

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EvENEaYVEAQ ... name=large
8th Heavy CA Brigade

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78th Chemical Engg Brigade
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by jamwal »

A longish thread about locations of Chinese PLA, ground forces Brigade (and a few battalion) HQs.
Theater Command - TC
Group Army - GA
MR - Military Region
Combined Arms Brigade - CAB
CABs can be Heavy, Medium, Light or Amphibious & are comprised of battalions plus a few support units.
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Starting with Western TC which is the largest & will be involved in any war with India. Its different from other 4 TCs & has 2 GAs, 2 MRs plus few indp units.
76th GA
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1. Overview
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2. 12th Heavy CAB
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3. 76th AD
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4. 76th Army Aviation


77th GA
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1. Overview
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2. 139th Heavy CAB & 77th SO Brig.
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3. 77th Artillery Brig
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eviu7k0VcAk ... me=900x900
4. 77th Air Defence Brig
76 and 77 GAs are perhaps primary offensive units for PLA on Indo-Tibet border. Well equipped & are being trained regularly in Tibet.


Tibet MR
It has 3 CABs plus a bunch of other units including lightly equipped Border Defence Regiments. Most of the visuals of Indian and Chinese soldiers in past 2-3 years involve BDRs, not regular PLA.
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1. Overview
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2. BDRs
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3. 351st BDR. smaller HQs with fewer facilities.

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1. 353 BDR HQ
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2. 52nd CAB. Compare size of Light CAB HQ with BDR HQ.
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3 & 4. HQs of 2 battalions belonging to 52nd and 53rd.
These are some of few such HQs I've managed to locate. Hard to find any information about the rest.

Xinjiang MR.
It still uses Division and Regiments unlike most of PLA & has no CABs.
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1. Covers a huge area including Laddakh.
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2. 6th Mech Inf Div HQ
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Evi1FcWVcAg ... name=large
3. Field Artillery Reg, 6th Div
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4. 18th Mech Inf Reg, 6th Div
Lots of expansion still going on.

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1. 6th Mech Inf Div
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2. 11th Motor Inf Regiment.
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3. 8th Motor Inf Div
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4. 11th Art Reg
These hve not been mechanised, perhaps because of their AOR of CAR borders

That's it for now. Will edit blogpost to add all this information in a few days.
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by Cyrano »

Gents, hope this is the right thread to post this:

China has built the world's largest navy. Now what's Beijing going to do with it?

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In this April 12, 2018, file photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, speaks after he reviewed the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy fleet in the South China Sea. From Asia to Africa, London to Berlin, Chinese envoys have set off diplomatic firestorms with a combative defense whenever their country is accused of not acting quickly enough to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Analysis by Brad Lendon, CNN
Updated 0129 GMT (0929 HKT) March 6, 2021

Hong Kong (CNN)In 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping donned military fatigues and boarded a People's Liberation Army Navy destroyer in the South China Sea.

Spread out before him that April day was the largest flotilla Communist-ruled China had ever put to sea at one time, 48 ships, dozens of fighter jets, more than 10,000 military personnel.
For Xi, the country's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, the day was a way point to a grand ambition -- a force that would show China's greatness and power across the world's seven oceans.
"The task of building a powerful navy has never been as urgent as it is today," Xi said that day.
China was already in the midst of a shipbuilding spree like few the world has ever seen. In 2015, Xi undertook a sweeping project to turn the PLA into a world-class fighting force, the peer of the United States military. He had ordered investments in shipyards and technology that continue at pace today.
By at least one measurement, Xi's plan has worked. At some point between 2015 and today, China has assembled the world's largest naval force. And now it's working to make it formidable far from its shores.
In 2015, the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) had 255 battle force ships in its fleet, according to the US Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI).
As of the end of 2020, it had 360, over 60 more than the US Navy, according to an ONI forecast.
Four years from now, the PLAN will have 400 battle force ships, the ONI predicts.
Go back to 2000, and the numbers are even more stark.
"China's navy battle force has more than tripled in size in only two decades," read a December report by the leaders of the US Navy, Marines and Coast Guard.
"Already commanding the world's largest naval force, the People's Republic of China is building modern surface combatants, submarines, aircraft carriers, fighter jets, amphibious assault ships, ballistic nuclear missile submarines, large coast guard cutters, and polar icebreakers at alarming speed."
Some of those will be the equal or better of anything the US or other naval powers can put in the water.
"The PLAN is not receiving junk from China's shipbuilding industry but rather increasingly sophisticated, capable vessels," Andrew Erickson, a professor at the US Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute, wrote in a February paper.
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A Type 052D Chinese guided missile destroyer participates in a naval parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of China's PLA Navy in 2019.

Those include ships like the Type 055 destroyer -- which some analysts say betters the US Ticonderoga-class cruisers for firepower -- and amphibious assault ships that could put thousands of Chinese troops near foreign shores.
Where the US stands
While China is expected to field 400 ships by 2025, the goal of the current US Navy shipbuilding plan, a goal with no fixed date, is for a fleet of 355 -- a substantial numerical disadvantage.
That's not to say the US Navy has seen its days as the world's premier fighting force come to an end.
When counting troops, the US Navy is bigger, with more than 330,000 active duty personnel to China's 250,000.
Analysts point out several other factors in Washington's favor.

The US Navy still fields more tonnage -- bigger and heavier armed ships like guided-missile destroyers and cruisers -- than China. Those ships give the US a significant edge in cruise missile launch capability.
The US has more than 9,000 vertical launch missile cells on its surface ships to China's 1,000 or so, according to Nick Childs, a defense analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Meanwhile, the US attack submarine fleet of 50 boats is entirely nuclear powered, giving it significant range and endurance advantages over a Chinese fleet that has just seven nuclear-powered subs in its fleet of 62.
Close to home, however, the numbers move in Beijing's favor.
"The big advantage the Chinese navy holds over the US Navy is in patrol and coastal combatants, or corvettes and below," Childs said. Those smaller ships are augmented by China's coast guard and maritime militia with enough ships combined to almost double the PLAN's total strength.
Those are troubling signs for Washington as it grapples with budget and pandemic problems that are much larger than China's. Analysts worry the trend lines, including China's announcement Friday that it will increase its annual defense budget by 6.8%, are going in Beijing's direction.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, meets with representatives of the aircraft carrier unit and the manufacturer at a naval port in Sanya, south China's Hainan province on Dec. 17, 2019.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, meets with representatives of the aircraft carrier unit and the manufacturer at a naval port in Sanya, south China's Hainan province on Dec. 17, 2019.
Nobody can match China's shipbuilding
You can't have the world's largest navy if you can't build a lot of ships. China gives itself that ability by being the world's largest commercial shipbuilder.
In 2018, China held 40% of the world's shipbuilding market by gross tons, according to United Nations figures cited by the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, well ahead of second place South Korea at 25%.
Put in a historical perspective, China's shipbuilding numbers are staggering -- dwarfing even the US efforts of World War II. China built more ships in one year of peace time (2019) than the US did in four of war (1941-1945).
"During the emergency shipbuilding program of World War II, which supported massive, mechanized armies in two theaters of war thousands of miles from home, US shipbuilding production peaked at 18.5 million tons annually, and the United States finished the war with a merchant fleet that weighed in at 39 million tons," said Thomas Shugart a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and former US Navy captain, in testimony before Congress last month.
"In 2019, during peacetime, China built more than 23 million tons of shipping, and China's merchant fleet ... totals more than 300 million tons," Shugart said.

The Chinese state-owned companies churning out commercial shipping are also the engines of its naval buildup.
"In conflict, excess PRC industrial capacity, including additional commercial shipyards, could quickly be turned toward military production and repair, further increasing China's ability to generate new military forces," Erickson, of the US Naval War College, wrote last year.
The infrastructure in place, the workforces involved and the technology employed in those commercial shipyards is applicable in turning out warships in quantity.
That's something China does very well. "Between 2014 and 2018, China launched more submarines, warships, amphibious vessels, and auxiliaries than the number of ships currently serving in the individual navies of Germany, India, Spain, and the United Kingdom," according to the China Power Project.
"At the rate China is building naval vessels, and with the capabilities those newer warships have, I would say that they've already progressed from what was a coastal defense navy, to what is now probably their region's most powerful navy -- with some global reach -- and are on their way to building a world-class power projection navy if they continue growing as they have," Shugart told CNN.
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A Type 052D destroyer of China's People's Liberation Army Navy provides an escort ahead of the Liaoning aircraft carrier into the Lamma Channel as it arrives in Hong Kong territorial waters on July 7, 2017.

The power of missiles
Beijing has been methodical in its naval buildup, with much of its numbers to date concentrated on craft such as corvettes, frigates and diesel-electric-powered submarines that would be useful in waters around China, said Sidharth Kaushal, research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London.
"The bulk of China's shipbuilding, such as its force of (approximately) 75 Type 056 corvettes, are smaller vessels of the corvette/frigate size," Kaushal said. Contrast that to the US Navy, whose closest ship to the frigate class, the littoral combat ship, now numbers only around 15 combat-dedicated vessels.

Corvette

A Type 056 corvette, above, of the Chinese navy transits Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor in 2019.

Corvettes form the biggest chunk of the People's Liberation Army Navy fleet, with 72 in service as of February 2021, according to a report in state-run Global Times.

Source: Global Times

The corvette force is ideal for tighter, shallower ocean environments, like China's key areas of concern, the South China Sea; around Taiwan; and the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea, controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.
The ships the PLAN puts to sea near Chinese shores are protected by a large ground-based missile force.
The missiles "problematize US power projection and prevent overwhelming naval and air power from striking the Chinese mainland," said Kaushal. "However, this also has the effect of facilitating power projection against local nations, as these nations are far more vulnerable when the maritime links that enable the US to support them are severed."
For instance, if the US Navy was unable to operate in the South China Sea because of the Chinese missile threat, it would have a hard time protecting the Philippines, with which Washington has a mutual defense treaty.
US military leaders are also cognizant that in 2021 the PLA Navy is much more than ships.
"Take a look at what China's really investing in," US Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said this week in an interview with Breaking Defense. "Yes, they are putting more ships in the water, but they're investing heavily in anti-ship missiles as well as satellite systems to be able to target ships."
All that gives China a strong hand to play in any possible conflict close to home. And China is adamant its military is defensive.
"The development of China's national defense aims to meet its rightful security needs and contribute to the growth of the world's peaceful forces," said the country's 2019 defense white paper, titled "China's National Defense in the New Era."
"China will never threaten any other country or seek any sphere of influence."
So why is the PLA Navy building aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships and large, powerful destroyers and cruisers suitable for operation far from China?
Image
This aerial photo taken on January 2, 2017, shows a Chinese navy formation, including the aircraft carrier Liaoning (C), during military drills in the South China Sea.
Near seas defense vs far seas protection
Protecting the Chinese mainland and its territorial claims around the region are what Beijing calls "near seas defense."
China's massive naval buildup coincides with it reinforcing its claims to almost all of the 3.3 million square-kilometer (1.3 million square-mile) South China Sea by building up tiny reefs and sandbars into man-made artificial islands heavily fortified with missiles, runways and weapons systems.
US steps up challenges to Chinese-claimed islands in South China Sea
US steps up challenges to Chinese-claimed islands in South China Sea
"Islands and reefs in South China Sea have unique advantages in safeguarding national sovereignty and maintaining a military presence in the open sea," read a December 2020 article in Naval and Merchant Ships, a Beijing-based magazine published by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, which supplies the PLA Navy.
But they can't stand alone, the magazine noted. In the events of hostilities, outposts in the southern reaches of the waterway could require reinforcements from near China's southern coast, more than a day's sailing away, it said.
Piling resources in the near seas to achieve that level of control could be problematic for China, some argue. It may leave China vulnerable to a distant naval blockade that could deprive it of vital materials from abroad, severing what are termed sea lines of communication, or SLOC for short.
"China does not control the straits and transit lanes on which its economy depends and 'once a crisis or war at sea occurs, (China's) sea transport could be cut off,'" Jennifer Rice and Eric Robb, senior intelligence analysts at the US Office of Naval Intelligence, wrote in a paper for the US Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute last month. "The regional focus of near seas defense is also insufficient to address the increasingly global scope of China's economic interests."

China launches amphibious assault ship, giving a big boost to its coastal warfare capabilities
To bring Chinese military power to bear on its global interests, they said, China has begun implementing "far seas protection."
"Far seas protection reflects Beijing's direction for the PLAN to 'go global,' ... part of a larger Chinese government policy to encourage the expansion of China's economy and cultural outreach," Rice and Robb wrote.
Part of the play is perception. For decades now, nothing has quite projected military power as the image of a US Navy aircraft carrier in waters far from home. It's something China craves, analysts say.
"Some Chinese military analysts suggest it is imperative for the PLA to safeguard China's overseas interests and note that sending out the PLAN is essential to establishing China's image as a great power," Rice and Robb wrote.
Dozens of corvettes can't do that. So China has ramped up its production of ships that form an aircraft carrier task force, like guided-missile cruisers and nuclear-powered submarines, which have much longer endurance than the diesel-electrics that comprise most of the PLAN fleet.
Satellite photos appear to show Chinese submarine using underground base
The PLA Navy has two aircraft carriers in service, but their endurance without refueling is limited to less than week, according to the China Power project. That makes them more suitable for use in places like the South China Sea rather than in far oceans.
But more carriers are in planning and production. The newest planned Chinese carrier is expected to be equipped with a nuclear power reactor and electromagnetic catapults that will enable it to launch aircraft with more firepower and greater range than the existing carriers.
Rice and Robb point out that two Chinese defense white papers, from 2015 and 2019, say long-range naval forces are necessary to help with international peacekeeping, disaster relief and naval diplomacy -- in other words, flying China's flag overseas.
But they issue a warning. "The peacetime nature of these activities can obscure far seas protection's wartime applications. The concept encourages offensive operations during wartime, despite the defensive strategy its name implies," they wrote.
Citing Chinese publications, they add, "One source urges naval forces to 'control key strategic channels' far from China. Another source advocates employing strategic 'fist' forces formed around aircraft carriers. ... Another wartime mission is to strike important nodes and high-value targets in the enemy's strategic depth to 'ease pressure on the near-seas battlefield.'"
ImageChina's first aircraft carrier, Liaoning, arrives in Hong Kong waters on July 7, 2017.

What's possible now -- and later
Although the Chinese navy would be a formidable opponent for any foe, its practical abilities don't yet match its aspirations.
Firstly, the PLAN would require aircraft carrier battle groups with far stronger air wings than the Chinese fleet's current capabilities.

Aircraft carrier
Image
The Shandong, above, is the newest of China's two active aircraft carriers.

Commissioned in 2019, it is an updated version of its predecessor, the Liaoning, which is a platform originally built for the Soviet navy.

The Shandong carries an air wing of approximately four dozen aircraft split between fighters and helicopters. The Shandong is conventionally powered, meaning it can only operate about six days at sea before refueling.

Source: China Power-CSIS

The PLAN's two active carriers are conventionally powered and based on old Soviet designs. That limits the range of the ships themselves, the range and number of aircraft they carry, and the payloads of munitions on those aircraft.
In short, they are not even near peers to the US Navy's fleet of 11 aircraft carriers. And just one of those US carriers makes an intimidating statement while steaming off a foreign shore.
"A US Navy aircraft carrier, its air wing, is more powerful than most countries' entire air forces," said Eric Wertheim, editor of the US Naval Institute's "Combat Fleets of the World."
The PLA Navy is not there yet. Note how limited China's long-range naval power projection has been to date.
China's aircraft carriers haven't ventured farther than the western Pacific, let alone to projected power globally. While PLAN ships have deployed to the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and into the North Atlantic to northern Russian ports, they've done so in small numbers and infrequently.
Just last week, state-run tabloid Global Times reported on a Chinese naval expedition group of at least five ships led by a guided-missile destroyer crossing the equator and sailing into the open sea. It did not give an exact location of the equator crossing but noted the group had likely been at sea for three weeks.
"Such missions enable the PLA to get familiar with the high seas as China eyes to build a blue-water navy," the report said.
Global Times said a year ago a similar expedition group ventured out into the Pacific, an event noted by Roderick Lee, director of research at the US Air Force's Air University China Aerospace Studies Institute.

Destroyer
Image
A Chinese navy Type 052D destroyer, front, takes part in an exercise with the Russian navy in the Baltic Sea in 2017.

The ship, of which China had built 25 as of August 2020, is a prime example of how China is making modern warships with the ability to project naval power around the world, analysts say.

Sources: Global Times, US Naval Institute

"The key takeaway from this training event is that the PLAN is developing the proficiencies to sustain limited offensive strikes against US forces -- perhaps as far out as Hawaii," Lee wrote for the Jamestown Foundation's China Brief.
"The PLA Navy is making significant progress in joint operations, damage control, logistics, and intelligence -- to the extent that they may soon be able to operate on the doorstep of US Navy port facilities in wartime."
But other analysts say the realization of the PLAN's blue-water efforts could be years, if not decades, away.
"By 2049 China aims to have a global military that's able to fight and win wars and project power globally," Meia Nouwens, senior fellow for Chinese defense policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said last week as the think tank released its annual world "Military Balance" report.
Along that timeline, analysts say they are looking for certain benchmarks to measure progress. They include establishing more overseas bases to support the PLAN -- it has only one, in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa -- and building heavy air transport to supply those bases.
"An interesting one will be when a Chinese carrier group makes a long-range deployment of significance, potentially into the Indian Ocean," Childs, the International Institute of Strategic Studies defense analyst, said.
Other notable deployments could include going into the Arctic and possibly the Atlantic, Childs added.
Image
Soldiers stand on deck of the ambitious transport dock Yimen Shan of the PLA Navy as it participates in a parade in the sea near Qingdao, China, in 2019.
The Taiwan question
But in the near term, the center of attention is Taiwan, the democratic self-governing island that the powers in Beijing say is a historical and inalienable part of their sovereign territory.
Beijing's 2019 defense white paper said the island's authorities were "intensifying hostility and confrontation, and borrowing the strength of foreign influence."
"The 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces and their actions remain the gravest immediate threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the biggest barrier hindering the peaceful reunification of the country," the paper said.
And in a press conference in January, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman made clear where the military stands. "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China," Senior Col. Wu Qian said.
China flies warplanes close to Taiwan in early test of Biden
China flies warplanes close to Taiwan in early test of Biden
"The PLA will take all necessary measures to resolutely defeat any attempt by the 'Taiwan independence' separatists, and firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
In a speech in 2019, Xi said "not a single inch of our land" could be ceded from China.
"We should safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and achieve full unification of the motherland," he said.
In many ways concerning Taiwan, Xi has set up the PLA Navy fleet to do that.
As noted, the concentration of smaller surface ships like corvettes and coastal patrol craft are suited for combat near shores. And there's only about 130 kilometers (80 miles) of relatively shallow water between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland, ideal for the corvettes.
Those six dozen or so corvettes, for example, can carry two anti-ship missiles each with ranges of up to 200 kilometers (125 miles). Imagine the tracking and missile defense headache that creates for the US Navy surface fleet in the Pacific, which can only muster about three dozen destroyers.
PLA capital shipbuilding can also been seen in the lens of Taiwan.
Late last year, the Type 075 landing helicopter dock (LHD), a 35,000- to 40,000-ton multipurpose ship about half the size of China's two in-service aircraft carriers, embarked on sea trials.
Taiwan's planned submarine fleet could forestall a potential Chinese invasion for decades
Taiwan's planned submarine fleet could forestall a potential Chinese invasion for decades
As one of the biggest amphibious assault ships in the world, the Type 075 has a full flight deck to handle helicopters, and a flooded well deck that can launch and recover hovercraft and amphibious vehicles, according to an analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). It also has the capacity to carry 900 ground troops, who the helicopters and hovercraft can put ashore.
The ship, the first of three in the water or in production, "considerably elevates China's ability to transport, land, and support ground forces operating outside the Chinese mainland," analysts Matthew Funaiole and Joseph Bermudez Jr. wrote for the CSIS.
"The new class of ship ... represents a significant step forward for enhancing China's amphibious capabilities."
But if China were to invade Taiwan, it would need far more than 900 ground troops to control and occupy the island.
And that brings us back to those numbers, including the coast guard, the maritime militia, even those merchant ships China produces like no one else can.
"We would be wise to assume that China will bring all of its tools of maritime power to bear in ensuring success in a cross-Strait invasion," Shugart, the CNAS analyst, told Congress, who drew an analogy to the escape of British forces from France in World War II to visualize his point.
"In something like the form of a reverse-Dunkirk, we should expect that instead of only dealing with dozens of gray-painted PLA Navy amphibious vessels and their escorts, we would likely see a Taiwan Strait flooded with many hundreds of fishing boats, merchant ships, and Coast Guard and Maritime Safety Administration vessels."


I've saved this article as pdf locally on my pc, in case anyone needs later
jamwal
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by jamwal »

Finally almost finished detailed ORBAT and locations of Chinese ground forces including Army, Marines and Airborne corps HQs. Haven't added some data like weapons and MUCD due to formatting issues. Corrections welcome.

http://jjamwal.in/yayavar/chinese-armed ... nd-forces/
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by LakshmanPST »

I have been trying to find reliable data on PLAAF all over the internet but with little success... Only found one or two tidbits by lurking in some Chinese forum...
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Lot of J7s have already been retired... In all probability, the no. of J7s left is around 400 only... These jets will also be retired by 2030... The air frame life of these jets is very less and they fly only for 25-30 years... China inducted the last J7 in 2003...
PLAAF will either retire them or use them for training...
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J8s are also slated for retirement by the end of this decade...
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The earlier J11 models (licensed Su27s directly bought as kits from Russia in 1990s) will also be retired by the end of this decade or early next decade...
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J10 production capacity is around 24 jets per year...
Overall PLAAF is inducting nearly 80 new jets of J10/J11/J16/J20 per year... Enough to replace all the older jets by the end of this decade...
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Future PLAAF will comprise of mainly
1) 'Light' J10 (~F16)
2) 'Heavy' Single seat Multirole J11 (~F15)
3) 'Heavy' Twin seat Multirole (but mainly for Strike role) J16 (~F15 Strike Eagle)
4) 'Heavy' 5th Gen J20 (~F22)

It is interesting how much PLAAF is building up inline with USAF...
I'm not sure about the role of 'Light' 5th Gen J31 (~F35) in PLAAF though...
jamwal
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by jamwal »

Mostly right, as far as I know. Yet most Chinese and Paki forums are very unreliable with lots of fake data and delusional fanbois. Everything written there has to be verified from other sources.
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by nachiket »

Su-30 MKK's are missing from that list. Those were inducted at around the same time as our MKI's, so they will remain in service for a while.
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by VinodTK »

LakshmanPST
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by LakshmanPST »

nachiket wrote:Su-30 MKK's are missing from that list. Those were inducted at around the same time as our MKI's, so they will remain in service for a while.
From what I read in some forums Su30MKK does not have enough variety of arnament integrated with it...
Anyways, PLAAF has only 3 Air brigades of Su30 MKK and they will be retired by 2040...
J16, copy of Su30, will be their primary attack aircraft for the next few decades...
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Re: China Order of Battle (ORBAT)

Post by LakshmanPST »

While searching for ORBAT of PLAAF, I found this website---> scramble.nl
It has Orbats of all countries and seems to be relatively more accurate than other sources and forums...
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I collected (from here https://www.scramble.nl/planning/orbats ... ce#ZU18109) and tabulated the Combat Aircraft brigade data of PLAAF...
Summary of total no. of Fighter jet Combat Brigades in PLAAF is as follows:-
Each Brigade has 24 to 30 jets depending on the no. of spares
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J7 (All variants):- 17 Brigades---> Total 400-500 jets
J10 (All variants):- 13 Brigades---> Total 312-400 jets
J11 (All variants):- 10 Brigades---> Total 250-300 jets
J16 (All variants):- 7 Brigades---> Total around 200 jets
J20:- 2 Brigades---> Around 60 jets
Su30 MKM:- 3 Brigades---> 73 jets
Su35:- 1 Brigade---> 24 jets
JH7:- 5 Brigades---> 120 jets
J8:- 4 Brigades---> Around 100 jets

Total:- 62 Combat Air Brigades ---> 1500 to 1800 jets...
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Few points to note:-
1) The above list does not include H6 Bomber Regiments/Brigades.
2) The above list also does not include Training, Transports and Factory Brigades/Regiments.
3) This is only data available in that website. Actual no. of planes will be much higher.
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Other points to note:-
1) All J7s, J8s and early J11s will be retired by 2030-35... They will be replaced by J10, J16 or J20...
2) JH7 Brigades will also be replaced by J16 in future...
3) Chinese fanboys say that the annual production rate of fighter jets in China is 80 per year... We definitely do not know whether it is simply an exaggeration or there is some truth in it...
But to replace 800 jets in PLAAF and a lot more jets in PLANAF by 2035, the production numbers should indeed by 80 per year...
4) Possible production rates, which is most likely true, are as follows:-
J10 - 24 per year
J16 - 24 per year
J20 - 12 per year
J11 is most likely not in production anymore.
5) Role of J31 in the overall fleet composition is not known yet... It is most likely for exports only... We will be knowing more about it only in coming years...
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PLAAF currently has atleast 3 times the strength of IAF purely by number of combat jets... That ratio, though high, will probably not change for another decade... Coz. Production rate is more or less same as retirement rate of older jets...
However, the overall technological quality of the fleet will improve drastically over the next decade...
While it is not required for us to match PLAAF plane to plane, we definitely need to modernize and indigenize our fleet... Shouls also increase the number of jets from current 600 to atleast 800+ jets (42 squadrons)...
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