The
People's Liberation Army Air Force (
PLAAF) is the
aerial warfare service branch of the
People's Liberation Army, the
armed forces of the
People's Republic of China. The PLAAF was officially established on 11 November 1949. As of 2014, the PLAAF has a strength of around 398,000 personnel and is the largest air force in
Asia. With ongoing modernisation, all older aircraft types in service are quickly being phased out and emphasis being placed on developing modern 4.5th generation fighters to replace them - along with
5th generation fighters in the near future.