Lesson 15: The Great Wall of Steel

The Construction of the Army, Navy and Air Force

When New China was founded, the Chinese People's Liberation Army was mainly a land army, and there were relatively few types of troops. After decades of development, the modernization level of China's army has been greatly improved, and it has developed into a modernized force including infantry, artillery, armor, chemical defense, communication, etc. The weapons and equipment are constantly updated.

On the eve of the founding of New China, the first naval unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the East China Military Region Navy, was established. After the establishment of New China, the East China Sea, South China Sea and North China Sea Fleets were established.

At the time of the founding of New China, the Navy had only a hundred or so obsolete ships. In 1971, China's self-developed missile destroyer completed many scientific tests and foreign missions. Then, the Navy was equipped with our own nuclear submarines.

After entering the 1990s, China's naval weapons and equipment have been continuously updated and modernized, and the level of modernization has been significantly improved. In September 2012, China's first aircraft carrier "Liaoning" was handed over to the Navy.

The People's Air Force was established on the basis of the Army, and in the early 1950s, the Air Force had more than 3,000 aircraft of various types. The Air Force was just born when it faced the test of the war against the United States and Korea. The officers and soldiers of the Chinese People's Volunteer Air Force defied the enemy and dared to fight, shooting down more than 300 enemy planes in the Korean battlefield and achieving brilliant results.

In the early days of the People's Air Force, aircraft were mainly purchased from foreign countries, but later on the road of localization was gradually embarked on. 1956, China succeeded in copying the J-5 fighter plane. Later on, China made various types of fighter planes, bombers and fighter planes.

Since the reform and opening up, China has developed and introduced a number of new aircraft, and the modernization of the air force has taken a new leap forward, becoming the steel guards to protect the airspace of the motherland.

Development of Missile Force

The missile force is indispensable in the modernized army. In 1966, China formed the Second Artillery Force. It is the core force of China's strategic deterrence, mainly responsible for deterring other countries from using nuclear weapons against China, conducting nuclear counterattack and conventional missile precision strike missions, consisting of nuclear missile forces, conventional missile forces, combat support forces, etc., equipped with the Dongfeng series of ballistic missiles and Long Sword cruise missiles, etc. In 2015, the Second Artillery Force was renamed the Rocket Force.

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