PLAAF’s Professional Bad Guys Just Got Upgraded: J‑10C, J‑16, and J‑20

 The PLAAF’s aggressor braide, their professional bad guys,  just quietly leveled up. And yes, Wikipedia is once again behind the curve (link):

“The 66th Brigade appears to operate Su‑30MKK, J‑10A, and J‑11B… while the most modern Chinese fighter aircraft such as the J‑20 and J‑16 are still being fielded to combat units.”

That was true once. According to the latest CCTV segment celebrating the PLA’s 99th birthday (Aug 1, 1927), the PLAAF’s OPFOR brigade is now flying J‑10C, J‑16, and J‑20 all front‑line, current‑generation fighters.

So the “Blue Force” isn’t just a bunch of Su‑30 holdouts anymore. 
 

•  J‑10C — single‑engine, medium‑weight multirole
• J‑16 — heavy twin‑engine strike fighter
• J‑20 — depending on which corner of the internet you visit, either China’s crown jewel or “unproven hype”

Joking aside, you don’t need to be an armchair blogger to see what’s happening with their pairing: the PLAAF is pairing its frontline “good guys” with frontline “bad guys.”  

The Blue Brigade just became a lot bluer.

 

 

Sunday, September 09, 2012

Desert camo for China Air Force’s Su-30s.

It is noted in a September 6th “Blue” vs. “Red” air-to-air confrontational tactical maneuver exercise over Guangzhou, that the bad guy is now sporting a new “desert camo” paint scheme. I can’t confirm what their mock adversary in “desert camo” is meant to be; perhaps this photo of a USAF F-15 of Weapons Academy is just a coincident.

 

Here are rest of the photos from that confrontational exercise 

 

 

Saturday, January 15, 2011

More "bad guys"

Judging from this publicly released photo of a J-10S sporting a serial number of 60x8x, it seems that PLAAF's 1st "Blue Army" Regiment, Flight Test & Training Center, is increasing in size to take on more twin-seaters for its training curriculum.

As the PLAAF takes on more modern fighters into its orbat, it is logistical to assume its training infrastructure would increase in due course.

Previous entry  on the "Bad Guys" of the PLAAF.

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

http://china-defense.blogspot.com/2010/02/bad-guy-su-30mkk-of-plaaf-8th-flight.html

"Bad guy" Su-30MKK of the PLAAF 8th Flight Academy (61x8x).

The 8th PLAAF Flight Academy is home to the SU-30MKK fighter-bomber "Blue-Army Aggressor Squadron." It is trained to act as the "bad guy" in war-games by simulating the US F-15E or other SU-30 equipped Asian air forces.

There are a total of three Blue-Army Aggressor squadrons under the PLAAF orbat; the other two are equipped with J-10A (60x8x) and J-7E (15xxx) to simulate lighter, single engine, opponents. These squadrons operate under the PLAAF Flight Test & Training Base (FT&TB) at Cangzhou Airbase in Hebei.

The first PLAAF aggressor squadron was commissioned in June 1987 (here) and was modeled after the US "Top Gun" and "Red Flag" schools. It has been serving as a grindstone for sharpening pilot combat skills ever since. Yup, they are putting their skills acquired from the Moscow Pilot School to good use. (here)

Su-30MKK (61x8x) Aggressor Squadron

Which one is Goose?

J-10A (60x8x) Aggressor Squadron

J-7E (15xxx) Aggressor Squadron

 

 

Dongfeng Mengshi Warrior, now in an autonomous‑driving variant.

China’s autonomous‑vehicle conversation is expanding, and the latest entrant appears to be the Mengshi Warrior. As always, word of caution: we’re still working off a handful of photos. But it’s enough to suggest the PLA is quietly testing autonomy on more than just logistics trucks and older MBT such as Type59s

 

 

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Covering Existing Trucks into Autonomous Driving vehicles

They don't even bother to hide it:   The red banner slapped across this Shaanxi Auto HMV3 heavy‑duty high‑mobility tactical truck reads:
 

“Unmanned test vehicle, do not approach.”

Now, one photo doesn’t tell you the size of the program, the maturity of the tech stack, or how many prototypes are quietly circulating around test ranges in Inner Mongolia. But it is a telling sign (pun, of course, intended) that they’re doing it across the board: from the headline‑grabbing ‘loyal wingman’ drones to the dull but absolutely indispensable logistics backbone that keeps the whole PLA moving. The PLA’s autonomy push isn’t siloed. It’s not ‘just drones’ or ‘just smart munitions.’ It’s a force‑wide adoption push.

 

 

Saturday, May 23, 2026

Boring PLA Logistics of the Day: A New Armored Troop Transport

 Most modern 6×6 military trucks across basically every major army (yes, I am looking at you, Russian Armed Forces) is still relying on canvas covers for the troop compartment. And sure, there are all the usual arguments: canvas is lighter, cheaper, modular, easier to repair, easier to transport, and generally more practical than a rigid metal roof. Canvas isn’t a relic; it’s a logistics‑optimized solution, not a fashion choice.  So the justification goes.    

But try telling that to the poor PLA infantry being hauled across the Tibetan Plateau in sub‑zero winds under a flapping sheet of frozen misery.  Ask them whether they’d prefer “logistical modularity” or a metal roof with HVAC. Spoiler: central heating is a thing, and soldiers tend to like it.

Which brings us to today's blog topic:  A new armored troop transport variant built on the FAW MV3 chassis (link). It’s large enough to move 22 fully armed PLA infantry from one Tibetan outpost to another without turning them into popsicles. The cabin is enclosed, insulated, and most crucially heated.

Noted that it’s armored, though notably not armed. No weapon stations, no pintle mounts, no remote turrets. This is a troop transport in the purest sense: a rolling metal thermos designed to get soldiers from Point A to Point B without frostbite, shrapnel, or altitude‑induced existential regret.

It’s a very PLA approach:
 

• Identify a real operational problem (Tibet is cold, canvas sucks).Modify an existing chassis (MV3 is everywhere).
• Add armor and HVAC.
• Call it a day.

Not flashy, not headline‑grabbing but absolutely the kind of incremental, practical logistics upgrade that actually improves soldier survivability and readiness.

Traditional FAW MV3 with  "logistical modularity" canvas cover