Air Force of the Republic of China

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Flag of the Air Force of the Republic of China.
Logo of the Air Force of the Republic of China
Curtiss Hawk II of the Air Force of the Republic of China
AIDC Ching-Kuo

The Air Force of the Republic of China ( Chung-Kuo Kung Chuan , English: Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF)) is a branch of the armed forces of the Republic of China and comprises around 45,000 soldiers. The air combat command, the logistics command and the training command are subordinate to the high command. General Hsiung Hou-Chi is in command .

history

Beginnings

China's interest in military aviation began in 1910 with the demonstration of a Blériot monoplane in Beijing, after which, until after the First World War, aviation activities concentrated on the capital. In 1922, in an effort to curtail the power of the numerous warlords , the great powers prohibited the sale of military aircraft to local Chinese authorities. In 1923, France nevertheless allowed the secret export of 70 Breguet 14/400 . In March of the same year the Soviet Union decided to support the newly founded Kuomintang -KMT in its revolutionary endeavors and sent an advisory group to China. With their help, the KMT was able to secure its power in Guangdong Province , but it was clear that further support would be necessary.

In 1925, the Soviet Union decided not only to deliver weapons, but also to provide aircraft and five pilots. A first squadron was set up in July 1925, followed by the establishment of an aviation office and a school squadron in November. A flight school founded shortly thereafter was part of the National Military Academy. As early as 1926, 200 aircraft, mostly Polikarpov R-1s , supported an offensive from Chiang Kai-shek in northern China. The air forces were divided into about 12 squadrons, which were assigned to the armies for reconnaissance and close air support.

In 1927 the KMT ended its alliance with the communists, which led to a civil war in China. This also put an end to the influx of Soviet aircraft. The air forces continued to be drawn into small and large aerial battles by the warlords, who themselves maintained small aircraft units, which led to the gradual bleeding and loss of the clout of the KMT's air units. In 1930 Chiang Kai-shek won against the combined Shaanxi - Guominjun forces, but the strength of the air force was reduced to six squadrons with around 70 aircraft.

US and Italian construction aid

In 1929 the arms embargo of the great powers ended, so that the ROCAF was able to procure two Vought O2U Corsair, 1930 then 32 Vought V-65C and 10 Douglas O-2 MC machines. Six German Junkers K 47 and some R 42 and F 13 also found their way to China. About a dozen warlords continued to maintain their own air force, by far the most powerful of the local rulers was Zhang Xueliang , who in 1931 had up to 100 aircraft under his command. However, when the Japanese attacked the Manchurian armed forces in September 1931 and drove them out of northeast China in the winter of 1931/32, all aircraft fell into the hands of the Japanese.

The Japanese attack resulted in the air force being reorganized in the spring of 1932 with unofficial American help through an advisory group led by Col. John H. Jouett. The group consisted of 13 pilots, mostly reserve officers of the US Army Air Corps and four mechanics and was supposed to fulfill their task on the basis of a three-year contract. In September 1932, the establishment of its own Chinese Air Force (CAF) took place. At the same time, an Italian group also arrived in China to support aerospace industry development and training. Due to the lack of pilots and usable aircraft, Industry Minister Kung suggested setting up a squadron with foreign volunteers. He hoped to be able to exploit the propaganda effect of an attack by the American test pilot Robert Short on the aircraft carrier Kaga during the First Battle of Shanghai, in which he allegedly destroyed six aircraft. However, Jouett rejected the proposal on the grounds that it would hamper the CAF's expansion plans.

From 1932 to 1934, 160 pilots were trained in the central flight academy in Chien Chao, near Hangzhou and in Nanchang with the help of 15 American and 10 Chinese flight instructors. As part of the expansion program, which was also supported by a state lottery, the USA received orders for 275 aircraft and Italy for 100 aircraft. Among the new aircraft arriving in 1933 were 154 Curtiss Hawk fighters (52 Hawk II and 102 Hawk III), with 90 Hawk III being assembled in the central aircraft factory. Italy supplied 24 Fiat CR.32, 11 Breda 27, 6 Savoia S.72, 20 Fiat BR.3 and 14 Caproni Ca.101. The number of aircraft ordered was even higher, but not all aircraft made it to the country. An influential German military mission ensured that 24 Heinkel He 50s , 6 Heinkel He 111 As and some Heinkel He 61s were also procured.

Despite strong diplomatic pressure from Tokyo, the American advisory group did not end its contract until May 1935, but even after that, American advisors were still employed in the central air academy. By July 1937, 512 pilots had completed training at the academy. The establishment of a central aircraft construction in Hangzhou was also done with American support. The Aviation Affairs Commission (CAA), established in May 1934, functioned as a Ministry of Aviation and its director was de facto the commander of the Chinese Air Force. The Italian influence had also grown so much that in 1936 an assembly plant supported by FIAT was set up in Nanchang.

After the end of the fifth anti-gang campaign in September 1934, the CAF was able to complete its reorganization and in 1935 was divided into three administrative commands: hunting and close air support, bombers and reconnaissance. The further structure comprised nine "tactical groups" with 31 squadrons. In the summer of 1936, the Kwangtung Air Force went over to the CAF armed forces and was fully integrated there. These reinforcements were also used in the last anti-gang campaigns in Shenxi. In December 1936, however, Chang Hseuh-Liang , who led the Manchurian forces in the campaign, arrested Chiang Kai-shek at his Sian headquarters and forced him to form an alliance with the communists against the Japanese ( Xi'an incident ).

Although a technical school for the air force was set up in 1936, the number of well-trained pilots and mechanics trained there fell far short of the requirements. In addition, the supply of spare parts, fuel and ammunition was very limited. The CAA was aware of the problems and in the spring of 1937 the newly appointed General Secretary Song Meiling , Mrs. Chiang Kai-sheks, invited the retired USAAC officer Claire Chennault to become secretary of the CAA herself and to carry out an inventory. Chennault arrived before fighting with the Japanese flared up again.

Second Sino-Japanese War

On July 7, 1937, Chinese and Japanese troops clashed near Beijing ( the Marco Polo Bridge incident ) and despite efforts to contain them on both sides, the fighting turned into a war ( Second Sino-Japanese War ). At that time, the CAF had 268 emergency aircraft and 67 reserve aircraft on paper, but actually only about 230 were operational, of which only 91 could be considered "modern". The structure in July 1937 was as follows:

Canton AB, Kwangtung Province
Headquarters Group: 18th Reconnaissance Squadron (Caproni Ca.101)
29th hunting squadron (Breda Ba.27)
Chu-Jung AB, Kiangsu Province
3rd group: 7th squadron (Curtiss Hawk II)
8th fighter squadron (Fiat CR.32)
17th Fighter Squadron (Boeing 281)
Hsiang-Yang AB, Hupei Province
13. Light Bomber Squadron, Headquarters Gr. (Douglas O-2)
Hsiao-kan AB, Hupei Province
20. Light bomber squadron, headquarters group. (Yang Cheng)
Kuang-teh AB, Chekiang Province
2nd group: 9th light bomber squadron ( Northrop Gamma )
11. Light bomber squadron (Northrop Gamma)
14. Light bomber squadron (Fiat BR.3)
Nan-Chang AB, Kiangsi Province
1st Group: 1st Light Bomber Squadron (Northrop Gamma)
2. Light bomber squadron (Northrop Gamma)
4th group: 21st squadron (Curtiss Hawk II)
22. Fighter Squadron (Curtiss Hawk II)
23rd Jagdstaffel (Curtiss Hawk II)
5th Group: 24th Fighter Squadron (Curtiss Hawk II)
25th Fighter Squadron (Curtiss Hawk II)
28th Fighter Squadron (Curtiss Hawk II)
8th group: 10th heavy bomber squadron (Savoia p.72)
19th heavy bomber squadron (Heinkel He 111)
30th Reconnaissance Squadron (Fu Haing)
Nanking AB, Kiansu Province
6th group: 3rd reconnaissance squadron (Douglas O-2)
4th Reconnaissance Squadron (Douglas O-2)
5th Reconnaissance Squadron (Curtiss Hawk III)
15th Reconnaissance Squadron (Douglas O-2)
Peng-Pu AB, Anhwei Province
9th Group: 26th Close Air Support Squadron (Vought Corsair)
27th Close Air Support Squadron (Vought Corsair)
Sian AB, Shensi Province
7th group: 6th reconnaissance squadron (Curtiss Hawk III)
12th Reconnaissance Squadron (Curtiss Hawk III)
16th Reconnaissance Squadron (Curtiss Hawk III)
31. Light bomber squadron (Douglas O-2)

After the outbreak of hostilities, the CAF was expanded to include a further group with three fighter squadrons and a transport group. The CAA retained administrative sovereignty over the CAF, but tactical control was now transferred to the Advanced Air Force Headquarters under General Mao Pan-Cha. By August 11, 1937, the CAF had concentrated large forces for an offensive in northern China. However, increasing tensions in the area of ​​the Yangtze River estuary after the Shanghai incident on August 9th led to almost all of the air forces being relocated to airfields around Nanking and Hangchou .

On August 14, 1937, the CAF launched the offensive against Japanese ships and a marine garrison . The approximately 100 missions flown had little effect, but the date of the attack is still celebrated in the Republic of China as Air Force Day. After the carrier Kaga had supplemented the light aircraft carrier Hosho (15 aircraft) with 48 aircraft and thus significantly strengthened the Japanese defense strength, the Chinese attack activity declined sharply. The CAF initially achieved greater success in intercepting missions against Japanese bombers on Nanking and Hangchou. However, with the increasing number of aircraft, the introduction of patterns with superior performance, and thanks to better Japanese pilot training, the CAF air force decimated to fewer than 80 aircraft in the course of September. At the end of October, only 12 of the original 80 fighters were still operational.

Resumption of Soviet support

Polikarpov I-16 of the Soviet Voluntary Expeditionary Force

A clear improvement in the operational capability of the CAF was shown after the resumption of material deliveries by the Soviet Union. These were based on a five-year non-aggression pact concluded on August 21 between the Chinese government and the Soviet Union. In September and October 1937, 225 aircraft then reached the CAF. The Soviet Union also sent an expeditionary force of 450 soldiers, including 250 pilots, most of whom were volunteers. These reached China in November and on December 1, the first Soviet squadron carried out the first attack. In November some units of the CAF could be refreshed with Soviet material, so the 4th group received Polikarpow I-16 , the 5th and 6th groups were equipped with Polikarpow I-15 2. Despite the Soviet help, the capital Nanking had to be given up on December 13, 1937. As a result of the loss of Nanking and Chiang Kai-shek's refusal to surrender, Germany and Italy broke off diplomatic relations. An order for 12 German aircraft was no longer carried out and the Italian mission was withdrawn in December.

In January 1938, the CAF had one bomber group, three fighter groups and two fighter squadrons. Together with the Soviet units, there was a strength of 320 emergency aircraft (232 fighters and 88 bombers), 100 of which came from the Soviet Union. The CAF also ordered 50 fighters and 59 bombers in England, France and the USA. The aircraft park consisted of a wild mix of types that was caused by the eventful history. In this respect, the operational readiness was severely limited as spare parts for the different motors and cells were hardly available.

1938-1941

In March 1938, the CAF adapted its command structure to the requirements of a multi-front war. The Air Force Advance Command was replaced by three Air Route Commands (ARC). The 1st ARC with headquarters in Nanchang was responsible for supporting the 3rd and 5th war zones in the provinces of Anhwei, Chekiang, Fukien, Kiangsi and Kiangsu. The 2nd ARC in Canton was responsible for supporting the 4th war zone, i. H. the area of ​​Hunan and the coasts of the provinces Koftou, Kwangsi and Kwangtung, the 3rd ARC in Sian was responsible for the 1st and 2nd war zones in Honan and Hupei.

Despite initial Chinese successes after the restructuring, the Japanese air force gradually gained the upper hand. In addition to a slight numerical superiority, the main reasons for this were the qualitatively better equipment and better training of the aircraft crews. This also led to multiple relocations of the ARC headquarters to the hinterland. In addition, the Soviet Union cut back aircraft deliveries significantly from mid-1938 and the USA was seen as a potential main supplier.

After the loss of Canton, the CAF's only supply route for fuel, spare parts and ammunition was via Rangoon in Burma . In early 1939, the CAF consisted of four bomber groups (one Soviet), three fighter groups (two Soviet), three independent fighter squadrons, two independent bomber squadrons and an independent reconnaissance squadron. In total, there were 135 fighters and 39 bombers, with the number of Soviet aircraft steadily decreasing. in the course of 1939 the number of aircraft increased to 311, of which 160 were fighters. Among them were 30 modern Curtiss Hawk 75 fighters assembled by CAMCO for the first time , but these could not be used effectively by the insufficiently trained Chinese pilots, so that some of them were flown in a separate squadron of "mercenary" pilots in 1939. The introduction of the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M "Zero-Sen" led to high losses at CAF, with 24 Chinese aircraft being lost in the first encounter in September 1940 alone. The acute shortage of aircraft forced the CAF to disband seven squadrons by the end of 1940. The only replacements that year were 30 to 40 Hawk 75A and 26 Vultee V12-Cs assembled by CAMCO . Very few aircraft made it to China from the Soviet Union, and the Soviet expeditionary force was disbanded in the summer. By the end of 1940, the number of front-line aircraft available had dropped to 65.

1941-1945

In April 1941, Japan and the Soviet Union surprisingly signed a neutrality treaty. But before it officially broke off military ties with China, the Soviet Union once again supplied a large number of new aircraft and anti-aircraft weapons. These included 100 SB-2M bombers and 148 I-152 / I-16 fighters, bringing the total number of aircraft delivered to 885. However, given the superiority of the Japanese Zero, China was unable to take advantage of this extensive refresh and continued to suffer heavy losses. As early as October 1940, Chiang Kai-shek had agreed to Chennault's proposal to replace the Soviet expeditionary forces with those from the USA. In the USA, however, Chennault initially had major problems in obtaining suitable modern aircraft and appropriate crews.

On March 11, 1941, the US President announced the start of the lend lease program . This was extended to China four days later, according to the report by Roosevelt representative Lauchlin Currie , who had investigated the military and economic situation on site. In order to determine the real need, the commander of the United States Air Corps in the Philippines visited the country in May and June 1941 and then recommended the establishment of training centers for crews and ground crews in India and the dispatch of 350 aircraft with American crews. The lend lease administration then approved the transfer of up to 500 aircraft, while the government agencies approved the training of Chinese personnel in the United States.

In the meantime, Chennault had succeeded in procuring 100 Tomahawk IIB (P-40C) and 25 P-40E for 8.9 million US dollars. The former machines were originally intended for Great Britain, but were not accepted by the RAF. The planes left the United States in April 1941 and reached Rangoon three months later , where they were made ready to fly. The first American Volunteer Group (AVG) was activated with three squadrons on August 1, 1941. In the winter of 1941/42 it was to be supplemented by the second AVG with Lockheed A-29 , but this could no longer be implemented due to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The first deployment of the AVG took place on December 20, 1941, and was replaced in mid-1942 by the American China Air Task Force (CATF) and then by the specially founded Fourteenth Air Force (14th AF). The 14th AF took over the role of the Chinese Air Force until the end of the war, with American and Chinese pilots flying together in so-called Chinese American Combat Wings (CACW). After the Japanese captured the Burma Road , China was now completely isolated and dependent on the Over the Hump Airlift , which was maintained in India by the India China Wing of the Air Transport Command (ICWATC) under the command of the Tenth Air Force .

Aircraft types used from 1937 to 1945

Curtiss A-12
Nakajima Ki-43
P-40 of the AVG

After the Second World War

In the early years after the retreat to the island of Taiwan , ROCAF was largely only able to use second-hand aircraft, but this changed in 1992 when political talks with the People's Republic of China were resumed. The US Congress approved the sale of 150 Block 20 General Dynamics F-16s as part of the Peace Phoenix program, although after Beijing interventions only the F-16A and B variants were supplied instead of the more powerful C and D versions. ROCAF F-16s are also stationed at Luke AFB in the USA , where pilot training is taking place in association with the 21st Tactical Fighter Wing. Of the total of 308 Northrop F-5 Tiger II purchased, around 80 were still in active use in 2009, although an unknown number is still held as a reserve. ROCAF also used six Singapore Air Force F-5E's, converted in 1998, as RF-5E Tigereye reconnaissance aircraft with the 4th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron.

In 1994 the USA supplied four Grumman E-2 C Hawkeye, designated as E-2T by ROCAF, which were supplemented by two E-2K Hawkeye 2000E in 2006. Between May 1996 and October 1998, the armed forces received 48 single-seat Dassault Mirage 2000 -5E fighters and 12 two-seat training aircraft of the D variant. By November 2017, five Dassault fighter planes were lost in accidents (October and December 1999, November 2001, May 2013, November 2017).

In order to reduce the dependence on supplies from other countries, a separate program was launched to build the Ching-Kuo fighter aircraft, from which 106 single-seat F-CK-1A and 28 F-CK-1B two-seat trainers were made. The machines are to go through an upgrade program.

In 2006, the US Congress rejected a request to purchase an additional 66 Block 52 F-16C / Ds, as did the request to be included in the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program.

In the midst of the trade conflict between the United States and the People's Republic of China , US President Donald Trump gave the green light on August 21, 2019 for the delivery of 66 F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets to Taiwan, valued at US $ 8 billion. According to the manufacturer Lockheed Martin , the new F16 version is also structurally more stable and can be used "until 2070 and beyond".

Current structure

In 1998 a restructuring took place, whereby the previous Tactical Fighter Squadrons (TFS) were replaced by Tactical Fighter Groups (TFG). The ROCAF has an otherwise unusual practice of double naming the hierarchically positioned Tactical Fighter Wings (TFW). For example, the unit in Hsinchu is known as the 499th TFW, and the aircraft markings also use that designation. In addition, 2nd TFW is used, which is achieved by adding 4 + 9 + 9 = 22 and using the last digit 2.

Structure accordingly

443rd Tactical Fighter Wing (1st TFW, Tainan )
  • 1st Tactical Fighter Group (F-CK-1A / B)
  • 3rd Tactical Fighter Group (F-CK-1A / B)
  • 9th Tactical Fighter Group (F-CK-1A / B)
499th Tactical Fighter Wing (2nd TFW, Hsinchu )
  • 41st Tactical Fighter Group ( Mirage 2000 -5Ei / DI)
  • 42nd Tactical Fighter Group (Mirage 2000-5Ei / Tue)
  • 48th Tactical Fighter Group (Mirage 2000-5Ei / Tue)
455th Tactical Fighter Wing (4th TFW, Chiayi )
  • 21st Tactical Fighter Group (F-16A / B)
  • 22nd Tactical Fighter Group (F-16A / B)
  • 23rd Tactical Fighter Group (F-16A / B)
  • Air Rescue Group ( S-70C )
  • Detachment in Sungshan
401st Tactical Fighter Wing (5th TFW, Hualien )
  • 4th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (Northrop RF-5E / F-5F)
  • 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Group (F-16A / B)
  • 17th Tactical Fighter Group (F-16A / B)
  • 26th Tactical Fighter Group (F-16A / B)
  • 27th Tactical Fighter Group (F-16A / B)
427th TFW (3rd TFW, Ching Chuan Kang )
  • 7th Tactical Fighter Group ( F-CK-1 )
  • 28th Tactical Fighter Group (F-CK-1)
439th Composite Wing (6th CW, Pingtung )
  • 101st Airlift Squadron ( C-130H )
  • 102nd Airlift Squadron (C-130H)
737th Tactical Fighter Wing (7th TFW, Taidong )
  • 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron ( F-5E / F Tiger II)
  • 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron (F-5E / F)
  • 46th Tactical Fighter Squadron (F-5E / F)
20th Electronic Warfare Group (Ping Tung)
  • 2nd Early Warning Squadron ( E-2T / K )
  • 6th Electronic Warfare Squadron (EC-130HE)
Air Force Academy ( Gangshan )
  • Basic Training Group (Beech T-34C Turbo Mentor)
  • Fighter Training Group (AIDC AT-3)
  • Airlift Training Group (Beech 1900C)
  • Detachment in Sungshan
Sungshan Air Base Command (Sungshan)
  • Special Transport Squadron (Beech 1900C, Fokker 50)
  • Presidential Flight (Boeing 737-8AR, Fokker 50)
Makung Air Base ( Makung )
  • Detachment with F-CK-1A / B

equipment

The following aircraft and helicopters are used:

Multipurpose fighter aircraft
Interceptor
Airborne Early Warning aircraft
Electronic reconnaissance aircraft
Liaison aircraft
Transport aircraft
Training aircraft
Survey aircraft
Multipurpose / liaison helicopters

Furthermore, the air-to-air missiles AIM-7F / M Sparrow , AIM-9P-4 Sidewinder , AIM-120C AMRAAM , Tien Chien I , Tien Chien II , BAe Mica , the BAe R.500 Magic 2 , the air-to-ground missiles AGM-65B / G Maverick and anti-ship missiles Hsiung Feng I , Hsiung Feng II , Hsiung Feng III , AGM-84A Harpoon used.

literature

Used for the article
  • Edward R. Hooton: Air war over China - History of the Republic of China Air Force. In: AIR Enthusiast Thirty-Four, September – December 1987, p. 7 ff.
  • Peter R. Foster: ROCAF: Facing the Dragon. In: AIR International January 2009, p. 20 ff.
Further literature
  • Lennart Andersson: Junkers in China. Early aviation in the Middle Kingdom . In: Fliegerrevue Extra . No. 13 . Möller, Berlin 2006, p. 80-95 .
  • Andreas Rupprecht: Dragon wings. The military aviation of the People's Republic of China. First part . In: Fliegerrevue Extra . No. 17 . Möller, Berlin 2007, p. 48-75 .
  • Andreas Rupprecht: Dragon wings. The military aviation of the People's Republic of China. Part two . In: Fliegerrevue Extra . No. 18 . Möller, Berlin 2007, p. 40-73 .
  • Andreas Rupprecht: Dragon wings. The military aviation of the People's Republic of China. Third part . In: Fliegerrevue Extra . No. 19 . Möller, Berlin 2007, p. 30-71 .
  • Andreas Rupprecht, Tony Buttler: Dragon's Wings. Chinese Fighter and Bomber Aircraft Development . Ian Allan, 2013, ISBN 978-1-906537-36-4 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ THE CHINESE WARLORD SYSTEM: 1916 to 1928 (accessed December 8, 2013)
  2. ↑ Aaron Tu, Jonathan Chin: Fighter crashes into sea, search for pilot continues. Taipei Times, November 8, 2017, accessed November 15, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Agence France-Presse: US risks China's anger after sealing $ 8bn deal to sell Taiwan 66 fighter jets. The Guardian, August 21, 2019, accessed August 21, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Foster, p. 24