Elephant walk Nanchang CJ-6

Step aside, sixth-generation fighter Chengdu J-36 and Shenyang J-50, below is the pride of the PLAAF

Saturday, August 30, 2025

Nanchang CJ-6, the old and the new

As the PLA Navy intensifies its push train more naval aviators, it can rely on the time-tested CJ-6 as its basic trainer aircraft. Yup, the pilots who now command the cutting-edge J-35 stealth fighter began their careers in a far humbler 60-year-old, radial-engined trainer with tricycle landing gear. 

 

 

Monday, December 30, 2024

Forever CJ-6

CCTV captured footage of a newly minted Nanchang CJ-6 taking off.  Some in China requested that the PLAN be photographed a CJ-6 taking off from one of her new flattops, as a reenactment to a WWII Pacific Theater scene.    Personally, I believe that's a terrific concept; let's do it.

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Yup, CJ-6 trainer still in production

This tiny trustworthy basic training is still in production after 60 odd years, according to this AVIC PR photo.   It now has a civilian variant to offer as well. 

PLAN Unit Of The Day: 9th Destroyer Flotilla, Hainan Province, Southern Theater Command Navy

As noted in the title, the PLAN 9th Destroyer Flotilla is stationed off Hainan Province, often regarded as China’s tropical resort destination. The flotilla was established in 2004 at the newly constructed Yulin (Yalongwan) naval base, which was still nearing completion at the time. Its official commissioning is believed to have taken place on July 18, 2004, with the following surface combatants:

• 2 Type 052B destroyers: 168 Guangzhou, 169 Wuhan
• 2 Type 052C destroyers: 170  Lanzhou, 171 Haikou
• 4 Type 054A frigates: 572, 573, 574, and 575

A relatively young flotilla, yet as the PLAN continues to expand, it requires new administrative structures to manage its ever‑growing fleet.

As of Nov 3rd,  the 9th has: 

• 4 Type 055 destroyers: 105 Dailian, 106 Yanan, 107 Zunyi, 108 Xianyang  
• 2 Type 052C destroyers: 170, 171
• 4 Type-052D destroyers 172, 173, 174, 175

 

Four Type 055 destroyers (approximately 448 floating VLSs) resting at the Yulin Naval Base

 

Drone Warfare TV captures of the day: ATGM carrying drones

 From the 83rd Group Army

PR Video Of The Day: 202nd Heavy Armor Combined-Arms Brigade at Zhurihe Combined Tactics Training Base

Cute Bangalore Torpedo carrying dog drone of the 202nd Heavy Armor Combined-Arms Brigade, LB15, 78th GA, Northern Theater Command.  

The 202nd's TOE includes Type99MBA, ZBD-04A IFV, PLZ07A 122mm SPH, PHZ11 MRL and AFT10 SP-ATGM carrier

 

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

202nd Heavy Armor Combined-Arms Brigade, LB15, 78th GA, Northern Theater Command

 

China’s new Hongdu carrier-based advanced twin‑engine jet trainer

First look: China’s new carrier-based advanced twin‑engine jet trainer by  has completed its initial test flight. Previously, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) relied on the JL‑9G, a single‑engine trainer adapted from the Guizhou JL‑9/JJ‑7 airframe. However, as many observers have noted, all of China’s current carrier‑based combat aircraft are twin‑engine designs, making the older single‑engine JL‑9G a less suitable candidate for lead‑in fighter trainer (LIFT) roles.

 

China's upgraded JL-9 naval trainer jet featured in official report
http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/CHINA_209163/Features_209191/16377828.html
Source
    Global Times
Editor
    Li Weichao

Time
    2025-03-30 21:51:40

 
 

A JL-9 trainer aircraft attached to a regiment affiliated with the Naval Aviation University of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) lands after a combat exercise in the spring of 2025. Photo: Screenshot from the Sina Weibo account of China Bugle, an official media account affiliated with the PLA news media center

An upgraded version of China's JL-9 naval trainer jet was featured in a recent official report, revealing newly added wingtip split rudders. A Chinese military affairs expert said on Sunday that the technology will enhance carrier pilot training and could be applied to future stealth aircraft.

A regiment affiliated with the Naval Aviation University of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently organized pilots to conduct an aerial maneuvering exercise under combat scenarios, China Bugle, an official media account affiliated with the PLA News Media Center, reported on Saturday evening.

By putting a red team and a blue team against each other in close-range combat training, the exercise tested the pilots' comprehensive combat capabilities in complex battlefield conditions.

The video report showed JL-9 trainer jets in action, with one deploying wingtip split rudders during landing.

Public reports indicate that wingtip split rudders are a new feature to an upgraded version of the JL-9 that made its maiden test flight in May 2020.

Compared to the original JL-9, the upgraded version of the aircraft removed the drogue parachute installation located at the vertical tail, and added wingtip split rudders, aiming to improve stability and low-speed performance, eastday.com, a Shanghai-based news website, reported at the time.

The JL-9 trainer aircraft is used to train pilots for aircraft carrier-based fighter jets, which do not use drogue parachutes, so it is normal for the trainer to remove this design. The new split rudders act as air brakes, helping pilots practice carrier landings more effectively, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Using split rudders instead of drogue parachutes can also help lowering the weight of the aircraft, improving overall performance, Song said.

The appearance of the upgraded JL-9 in an official report is an indication that the aircraft has technically matured, Song said.

Beyond the JL-9, Song noted that wingtip air brake and split rudder technologies have potential in future stealth aircraft. To achieve better stealth, next-generation aircraft tend remove vertical wings, so they need to use other types of stabilizers to control the aircraft, and this is when alternative control surfaces like wingtip rudders become relevant. 

 

 

Forever Type62 Light Tank

Before the introduction of the Type 15/ZTQ-15 light tank, the PLA fielded the Type 62 as its dedicated light tank in 1963. The Type 62 was essentially a scaled-down version of the Type 59 (itself derived from the Soviet T-54/55), designed specifically for operations in the jungles and mountainous terrain of southern China, where larger main battle tanks were less practical.

However, the PLA was never fully satisfied with the Type 62. Its thin armor offered limited protection, a weakness that became evident during the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, where it suffered losses because of it. As a result, the tank was gradually relegated to secondary roles, such as reconnaissance.

Despite these shortcomings, the Type 62 found considerable export success thanks to its light weight and mobility. It was widely used in several African conflicts, with one of the most recent appearances being in the fighting in Sudan, as highlighted in a Central China Television (CCTV) news report (Oct 27th, 2026)

 

 

Blue Sword-2025 joint naval exercise. Look, there's PLAN Marine in Saudi Arabia

 

"Saudi Arabia and China launched the their third joint naval exercises, codenamed Blue Sword 2025, in Saudi waters, reflecting the two nations’ growing defence and strategic cooperation. The drills began on Monday at the King Abdulaziz Naval Base in Jubail, home to the Royal Saudi Navy’s Eastern Fleet, and will continue for three weeks, according to the Saudi ministry of defence. "

For rest of the article, (here)
 

The PLA Navy Marine Corps is deploying the Type 08/ZBL-08 armored vehicle to evaluate its performance in desert operations, alongside an opportunity to play with the G36 rifle