Jin Yinan：Nowadays, the Chinese Air Force has developed from a tactical air force, a campaign air force, to a strategic air force. What is a campaign air force? It mainly refers to the air force that can seize air superiority within the territory, territorial waters, and airspace. In 1950, the Chinese People's Volunteers crossed the Yalu River to fight the US and aid Korea and defend the country. At that time, our air force was very limited. Later, with the help of the Soviet Air Force, China's air force achieved rapid development and formed the famous "MiG Corridor" on the Korean battlefield. However, at that time, we could only complete small-scale air combat missions within a certain range and only had limited air superiority. At that time, our air force could be called a campaign tactical air force. It was not until the shelling of Kinmen in 1958 that we truly gained air superiority in the direction of Fujian along the southeast coast. We all know that developing the air force requires a significant investment of technology and funds, which was difficult for the young republic at that time and for the military that had come from Xiaomi and rifles, and had gone through a relatively long development process.

It has been over 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and now we have evolved from a tactical air force to a strategic air force today, indicating that our air force has undergone revolutionary changes. Strategic air force is not measured by the presence or absence of a specific type of equipment. Entering the threshold of strategic air force means that we have established a strategic air force architecture that integrates air and space, and has both offensive and defensive capabilities. It can not only undertake air defense within the territory, territorial waters, and airspace, but also maintain China's air and space security on a larger scale. What is the support of our strategic air force architecture? It is a weapon and equipment system with fourth generation aircraft equipment as the backbone and third generation aircraft equipment as the main body, which also cooperates with the aerospace information system, including the support of our Beidou-2, the construction of the airborne early warning aircraft platform, and the construction of the combat command platform. These are all very important.

Through the Gulf War in 1991, the Kosovo War in 1999, and the Iraq War in 2003, it can be seen that airborne early warning, especially early warning aircraft, plays a crucial role in aerial combat. Without early warning aircraft, it would not be possible to become a strategic air force. Without early warning aircraft, it is impossible to effectively integrate military forces in space, air, ground, and water, and achieve comprehensive integration. And our country's air force has gradually built an integrated structure of air and space, including navigation satellites, reconnaissance satellites, and an air command platform with early warning aircraft as the core, including the combination of fighter aviation, bomber aviation, transport aviation, and land aviation. These platforms and branches of the military have collectively formed the embryonic form of China's strategic air force today.

Jin Yinan：Yes, the strategic air force can independently carry out strategic tasks. In the past, the Air Force mainly played a supporting role, supporting Army operations and Navy operations. As a strategic air force, it is capable of carrying out independent combat tasks in independent strategic directions, including strategic bombing, campaign tactical bombing, or fighter, transport, airdrop, and airborne operations. It can simultaneously launch attacks on air, sea, and ground, and can carry out occupation and achieve large-scale cross regional air mobility.

We not only have airborne early warning aircraft, but also long-range strategic bombers and long-range fighter jets. We have completed large-scale strategic air transport based on the consignment of -20, which can achieve air delivery of light tanks and light armored vehicles. Recently, in the Sino Russian joint military exercises held in the northwest region of China, we saw a large number of armored vehicles and light tanks being launched immediately after being delivered to the ground from the air and then put into combat. The air transport capability has brought significant changes to the air force. Nowadays, our air force is capable of carrying out independent strategic tasks in a separate strategic direction.

Jin Yinan：This change is still ongoing. Nowadays, the development of our air force equipment is indeed ahead, and our combat theory, strategic thinking ability, and organizational form need to keep up accordingly. From a global perspective, in a large air force base, it is necessary to equip various types of aircraft such as early warning aircraft, bombers, aerial refueling aircraft, fighter jets, and transport planes simultaneously. This type of air base is no longer solely responsible for national air defense or military transportation missions, but can perform diverse tasks. With new equipment, we need new organizational forms, military thinking, and military theories to guide us, including the formation of troops, the quality and ability of commanders and fighters, all of which must be adapted to the development of the strategic air force. When an air force transitions from a tactical air force to a strategic air force, its personnel must also complete the transformation. Equipment is certainly very important, but it is not just advanced equipment that can form a strategic air force. We have advanced equipment, which is a prerequisite, but our organizational structure, strategic thinking, and personnel capabilities also need to keep up accordingly. Only in this way can we truly unleash the performance of advanced equipment and form a strategic air force.