Changchun Air Show set for September 19-23
By Liu Xuanzun
A YU-20 aerial tanker performs mock aerial refueling for a J-20 fighter jet and a J-16 fighter jet, escorted by another J-20 and another J-16
The aviation open-day activities of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force and the Changchun Air Show will return in September, two years after the last edition in 2023. The event is expected to showcase intensively some of the PLA Air Force’s latest weapons and equipment, as well as the achievements made in combat training, a Chinese military affairs expert said on Sunday.
The PLA Air Force will host aviation open-day activities from September 19 to
23 in Changchun, Northeast China’s Jilin Province, alongside the Changchun Air Show, the PLA Air Force announced in a statement on Sunday.
Flight performances, ground static displays, themed exhibitions and other activities will be arranged, according to the PLA Air Force.
Two posters released by the PLA Air Force featured the J-10C and J-10S fighter jets of the Bayi Aerobatic Team, and the JL-8 (K-8) intermediate trainer jets of the Red Falcon Aerobatic Team, indicating their participation in the upcoming event.
The previous edition of the PLA Air Force open-day activities in Changchun was held in July 2023. At that time, some of the PLA Air Force’s top warplanes, including the J-20 stealth fighter jet, the J-16 fighter jet and the YU-20 tanker aircraft, delivered flight performances in a spectacular visual show.
The PLA Air Force open-day activities and Changchun Air Show often feature flight performances by many types of aircraft, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Sunday.
The event could display the PLA Air Force’s latest developments in weapons and equipment as well as its achievements in combat training, Fu said.
The expert said he expects aircraft such as the J-20, J-16 and J-10C to once again deliver a spectacular show for the audience. Given that the export version of the J-10C has performed well in a recent foreign air combat, an air performance from the J-10C would very likely be a major attraction to the public.
At the Airshow China 2024 held in Zhuhai, South China’s Guangdong Province, the PLA Air Force’s latest stealth fighter jet, the J-35A, made its debut.
Fu expressed the hope that the J-35A, or even newer types of weapons and equipment, would participate in the upcoming PLA Air Force open-day activities and Changchun Air Show.
Having attended previous editions of both the Changchun event and the Airshow China in Zhuhai, Fu said that while the Airshow China offers a broader view on China’s defense development, the Changchun PLA Air Force open-day activities focus more specifically on the PLA Air Force.
In addition to flight performances by latest aircraft, the previous Changchun PLA Air Force open-day activities also featured ground displays of legacy aircraft that once defended China’s airspace, highlighting the history of the PLA Air Force and the continuation of its spirit, Fu said, noting that some of the advanced aircraft, as well as radar and air defense missile systems, are also expected to be displayed on the ground.
