SECTION 19
AIR FORCE RESEARCH INSTITUTES
All
of the PLAAF's research institutes (yanjiusuo) are
subordinate to HqAF's Headquarters, Logistics, or
Aeronautical Engineering Department. In turn, all of the research institutes
within the Headquarters Department are subordinate to the Scientific Research
Department, and those in the Logistics and Aeronautical Engineering Departments
to their respective Headquarters Departments. Each of these three departments
have a division (chu) which is specifically responsible
for planning, budgeting, and issuing requirements/ projects to each of their
research institutes.
There
are eight numbered research institutes under the Scientific Research
Department. Each of these research institutes have about 180-200
personnel. The senior administrative personnel are active duty military, and
the technicians are PLAAF civil service personnel. While this department has
functional (yewu) control for the planning,
budgeting, and requirements for these institutes, other departments have
administrative (xingzheng) responsibilities for them.
In
general terms, the Scientific Research Department is responsible for
development of new systems, and the other departments are responsible for the
systems once they are deployed. However, the Scientific Research Department,
the research institute, and the associated department work closely on all
phases of weapons and equipment development. Except for the First and Fourth
Research Institutes, all of the research institutes assigned to the Scientific
Research Department are associated with departments in the Headquarters
Department. The Headquarters Department also has several research laboratories
(yanjiushi).
The
First (Aeronautical En ineerin an k~ ong gonacheng) Research Institute,
AKA the Maintenance/weihu Research Institute, was
established in July 1959, changed its name to the PLA Sixth Research Institute
in June 1961, and was reactivated as the PLAAF First Research Institute in
September 1962. It is functionally subordinate to the Scientific Research
Department, but is administratively subordinate to the Aeronautical Engineering
Department's Field Maintenance Department. It is located at Beijing Nanyuan airfield.
The
Second (Radar/leida) Research Institute was
established between 1959-1965. It is functionally subordinate to the
Scientific Research Department, but is administratively subordinate to the
Radar Department. It is co-located with the Third, Fifth, and Seventh
Research Institutes at Qinghe, which is located just
north of Beijing. There is an Air Force radar repair factory in Lintong, near Xian, which probably works closely with this
research institute.
The
Third (Communications/ton xin) Research Institute was
established between 1959-1965. It is functionally
subordinate to the Scientific Research Department, but is administratively
subordinate to the Communications Depattment. It is
co-located with the second, fourth, and seventh research institutes in Qinghe.
In
July 1951, the Fourth (Aviation Medicine/hangkong yixue
yanjiusuo/ hangyi vanjiusuo) Research Institute was established in Beijing and is co-located
with the Air Force General Hospital. It is functionally
subordinate to the Scientific Research Department, but is administratively
subordinate to the Logistics Department's Health Department.
The
Fifth (Air Defense/daodan) Research Institute is
functionally subordinate to the Scientific Research Department, but is
administratively subordinate to the Antiaircraft Artillery Department. It also
works closely with the Logistics Department's Armament Department's SAM
Division. It is responsible for SAMs and probably
AAA, but is not responsible for air-to-air missiles. It is co-located
with the second, third, and seventh research institutes in Qinghe.
The Sixth (Telecommunications Technology/dianxin
jishu or Intelligence/ gingbao)
Research Institute is functionally subordinate to the Scientific Research
Department, but is administratively subordinate to the intelligence department. The primary missions of the
Sixth Institute are development of telecommunications equipment for
intelligence collection, as well as ground and aerial reconnaissance. Ground
reconnaissance includes listening posts along the border, and there is a
division (chu) within the
institute which is specifically responsible for this mission. Aerial
reconnaissance includes photographic and other means. It is located in northern
Beijing.
The
Seventh (Aviation Weather/hangkong qixiang)
Research Institute was established in 1958. It is functionally subordinate
to the Scientific Research Department, but is administratively subordinate to
the Weather Bureau. It is co-located with the second, third, and fifth
Research Institutes in Qinghe.
The Eighth (Weaavons System and Evaluationlwuqi xitong lunzheng suo) Research Institute belongs
solely to the Scientific Research Department. This institute evaluates
ongoing/completed research to see if it is actually feasible to proceed with a par!irvlar system. If the eighth
research institute approves the theoretical concepts, then it issues the
necessary requirements to continue research or to produce the specific system
or piece of equipment. This institute has several subordinate laboratories and
.is also responsible for airto-air missile
development. It was previously co-located with the second, third, fifth,
and seventh research institutes in Qinghe, but moved
in 1989 to a new facility at Beijing Nanyuan
airfield.
The
Simulator Research Lab/moniqi vaniiushi
is functionally subordinate to the Scientific Research Department, but is
administratively subordinate to the Training Department.
The
Logistics Department's Headquarters Department is responsible for the
functional control, including the budget, plans, and regulations, for all of,
the research institutes that belong to the Logistics Department. In the 1950s
and 1960s, "the Logistics Department established the Medical and Fuels
Research Institutes. After the Third Plenum of the 11th Party Congress (1978),
research institutes such as those for capital construction, aviation munitions,
and SAMs, etc., were established.
The
Fuels vouliao) Research Institute was
established as the Aviation Fuel Research Institute (hangkong youliao yanjiusuo) in 1960. It is
functionally subordinate to the Logistics Department's Headquarters Department,
but is administratively subordinate to the Fuels Department. It is located in Beijing.
The
Clothing_(beizhuang)
Research Institute is functionally subordinate to the Logistics
Department's Headquarters Department but is administratively subordinate to the
Quartermaster Department. It is located in Beijing.
The
Aviation Munitions (hangkong danyao) Research
Institute is functionally subordinate to the Logistics Department's
Headquarters Department, and is administratively subordinate to the Armament
Department. It is located in Chuxian/Chuzhou City, Anhui Province.
The
Four Stations Equipment (sizhan zhuan bei) Research Institute develops
oxygen generation, compressed air, battery charging, and power supply
equipment. Its location is unknown. There are PLAAF four stations repair
facilities (sizhan xiuli chang) in Shenyang and Chuzhou.
The
Medicine Exam in ation/Inspection (Yaoyin lianyan) Research
Institute is functionally subordinate to the Logistics Department's
Headquarters Department, but is probably administratively subordinate to the
Health Department. It is located at Beijing Nanyuan
airfield.
The
Capital Construction (jiiian gongcheng)
Research Institute is functionally subordinate to the Logistics Department,
is probably administratively subordinate to the Airfield Construction and/or
Airfield and Barracks Construction Departments.
The
Surface-to-Air Missile (dikongdaodan)
Research Institute is subordinate to the Logistics Department. Its functions, compared with that of the Fifth Research Institute,
is not known.
The
Aviation Repair (hangkong_xiuli) Research
Institute was established in Nanjing in February 1978. It is
functionally subordinate to the Aeronautical Engineering Department's
Headquarters Department, but is administratively subordinate to the Factory
Management Department. It is co-located with the Aviation Electro-Mechanical
Research Institute (hangkong jidian yanjiusuo) in Nanjing.
In
addition to the research institutes noted above, the PLAAF formed the research
institutes listed below from 1957-1965. Their status today is not known.
-
Aviation Equipment Technical & Maintenance Research Institute (hangkong zhuangbeijishu weixiu yan'iusuo)
- Navigation Research Institute (daohang yaniiusuo)
- Automation Research Institute (zidonghua vaniiusuo)
- Refueling_,E9uipment
Research Institute (iiavou shebei
yaniiusuo)
- Chemical Defense Research Institute (fanghuayanjiusuo)
RESEARCH CENTERS
There
are also various PLAAF research centers, such as those listed below:
-
The PLAAF Navigation Theorv Research Center (kongjun linghang lilun yanjiu zhongxin) was established in 1981
- The PLAAF's SAM and AAA Applied Research Center (kongjun
dikong daodan, gaopao yingyong
yanjiu zhongxin)
