PLA Air Force Advances Strategic Modernization Goals

According to Xinhua News Agency, the People's Liberation Army Air Force is accelerating its modernization under designated strategic development milestones. The service set three-step development targets: entering the strategic air force threshold by 2020, preliminarily building a modern strategic air force by 2035, and fully constructing a world-class air force by the middle of this century. The report noted that the force continues to strengthen capabilities across strategic strikes, strategic early warning, air-space defense, and strategic airlift. Key equipment platforms include the J-20, J-16, and J-10 series fighter aircraft alongside the Y-20 family, bombers, and specialized early warning aircraft that underpin modern operational networks. At the sixteenth China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, the air force intends to introduce a specialized digital-intelligence section. This showcase will present military artificial intelligence applications, uncrewed-intelligent coordination, and digital air force developments, supported by international exchange conferences and uncrewed forums. Between January and October 2026, the service conducted joint counter-terrorism drills with Belarusian airborne troops, joined the Civilization Eagle-2026 exercise in Egypt, and flew joint strategic air patrols with Russian forces over Western Pacific airspace.