15th Airborne Corps
The 15th Airborne Corps, or army, traces its lineage to its establishment in 1949 when the Ninth Column was reorganized and redesignated the 15th Corps. Although nominally part of the PLAAF Order of Battle, in reality the 15th Airborne Corps is directly controlled by the Central Military Commission.
In the early 1960s, the 15th Army, an infantry army with extensive combat experience in the Korean War, was reorganized as an airborne army, subordinate to the People's Liberation Army Air Force Headquarters in Beijing. By the late 1960s, it had become evident that despite the change in the 15th Army's function and subordination, its three organic divisions - the 29th, 44th, and 45th -- had retained their numerical designators and were, with the exception of the 29th Division, the earlier referenced divisisions under the command of the Xiaogan Airborne Authority. The disposition of the 29th division was nor clear, but it is possible that elements of this division merged with original 1st Airborne Division at Kaifeng to create the new 43rd Division.
The 15th Airborne Army and its subordinate divisions, the 43rd, 44th and 45th remained at Kaifeng, Yingshan, and Huangpi until 1967, when the Cultural Revolution erupted in violence in Wuhan MR. Elements of the 15th Airborne Army, parachuted into Wuhan in July of 1967 to restore public order and secure vital military and civil facilities. During this same period, they also gained experience in air dropping supplies and paratroops over flooded areas of central China, as well as performing internal security duties in Wuhan city. These airborne units returned to their former installations by 1970.
During the Cold War, the 15th Airborne Army could have been utilized to reinforce the Urumqi area in the event of a Soviet attack on Western China. This type of combat missione might have included PLAAF airborne assault landings to harass enemy rear areas. This would include attacks on lines of communication and supply, disruption of the enemy movement of its reserves as reinforcements, and reconnaissance and intelligence gathering activities. In this role, airborne forces could also disrupt enemy offensive combat preperations through the destruction of occupied airfields, supply depots, communication centers, and the existing transportation infrastructure.
The 15th Airborne Army could also be employed in a land-based light infantry role although it would forfeit the tactical advantage it enjoys as an airborne force.
After the Cultural Revolution there was a steady increase in the frequency and sophistication of airborne training in the 15th Airborne Army. Prior to that period, PLAAF parachute training operations were primarily conducted by the 43rd Airborne Division and consisted of simple daytime jumps involving a small number of troops and supplies. The largest airborne exercise in China prior to 1967 was in the Fuzhou Military Region, and involved approcimately 45 transport aircraft that flew at altitudes of 800 meters.
The 15th Airborne Corps has been developed into a combined arms force, with the goal of being able to conducting independent operations in a limited conflict. The airborne troops would be used for a pre-emptive attack on an enemy's key rear area targets, though this mission requires total control in the air. Reflecting this concept, the 15th Airborne Corps has been elevated to a strategic force.
Due to limited airlift capabilities, only one of the Corps' three divisions can deploy to any part of China within 48 hours. In the late 1990s the airlift capability of the PLAAF consisted of 10 IL-76 heavy lift, Yun-8, and Yun-7 transports, as well as Mi-17, Mi-8, S-70c, Z-8, and Z-9 helicopters. Thus, the PLAAF could only lift one division of 11,000 men with light tanks and self-propelled artillery. Reports claim that a 10,000 man airborne division was transported to Tibet in less than 48 hours in 1988.
