Two J-20s howling through the sky with their missile bays open, each showcasing six missiles as the stealth fighter jets celebrated the 69th birthday of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force on the last day of the Airshow China 2018 in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province on Sunday. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) have received a solid boost to their comprehensive combat capabilities amid a deteriorating security environment, experts said on Tuesday, after China's aviation industry wrapped up 2023 with warplane productions that exceeded expectation.

Focusing on empowering the military with equipment and high-standard development, subsidiaries of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), including the Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co Ltd (CAC), Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group Company Ltd (XAC) and Shenyang Aircraft Company Limited (SAC), had exceeded targets in their annual batch production and delivery missions, according to an AVIC press release posted in its WeChat account at the end of 2023.

CAC delivered its last aircraft of 2023 on December 27, marking the full completion of its scientific research and production mission of the year, reads the press release, which came with a photo showing the takeoff of a J-20 stealth fighter jet, a top product of the Chengdu-based aircraft manufacturer.

The last test flight of 2023 for XAC was completed on December 20, according to the press release. The Xi'an-based firm is known for building Y-20 strategic transport aircraft and H-6 series bombers.

SAC wrapped up its annual batch production and test flight missions as far back as November 25 and broke a new record, the press release said, showing a photo of workers working on a J-15 carrier-based fighter jet. The Shenyang-based company is also known for making the FC-31 stealth fighter jet.

The aircraft manufacturers are motivated to accelerate modernization of aviation equipment development and make bigger contributions to realizing the centennial goal of the PLA in 2027, according to the press release.

Other AVIC subsidiaries, including those responsible for special mission aircraft, helicopters, amphibious aircraft, missiles and civilian aircraft, also completed their annual scientific research and production missions, the press release shows.

China's growing warplane production capacity comes at a time when the aviation forces of the PLA Air Force, Navy and Army are raising their requirements for weapons and equipment as well as training level, analysts said.

Citing previous media reports as saying that China is retiring old J-7 fighter jets, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the PLA is accelerating its pace in replacing legacy aircraft with new aircraft.

The increasing production capacity likely has new technologies to thank, like the application of pulse assembly lines that are not only faster but also guarantee better quality, Fu said.

China's aviation industry has reached a new level that enables the Chinese military to have more advanced tools in dealing with potential national defense emergencies, Fu said.

Aircraft such as the J-20, Y-20 and J-15 are considered advanced even compared with their top-level international counterparts, so Chinese aviation weapons and equipment not only have quantity, but also quality, another Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Tuesday.

China needs a strong military to safeguard national sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests as the US is rallying its allies in forming a military encirclement to contain China, the expert said.

Air defense is a major aspect in national defense, so having sufficient, powerful aviation weapons and equipment is very important, particularly under the currently deteriorating geopolitical security environment, the expert said.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times that 2024 is expected to see more uncertainty in the world, but he is confident that the Chinese military can firmly safeguard national security even while shouldering heavier duties.

More domestically developed warplanes are expected to make appearances in 2024, experts said.