China is Buying These Aircraft to Prepare for Potential War

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By Jennifer Geer Published
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China is Buying These Aircraft to Prepare for Potential War

© scaliger / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Here 24/7 Wall St. is looking at the newest military aircraft that China is buying. To identify every aircraft on order for the Chinese military, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry publication. We ranked these aircraft by how many are on order. We also included supplemental data on the type of aircraft, military branches with aircraft in service, and how many of these aircraft are in active service.

Here is a look at every Chinese military aircraft on order:

Why Are We Covering This?

Александр Семенов / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

In recent years, the relationship between China and the United States has become more adversarial with each nation wishing to exert influence over the other. Military might would be the final straw when it comes to exerting influence, why it is important to consider how these nations would stack up against each other in a military sense.

6. Z-19

Alert5 / Wikimedia Commons
  • Aircraft on order: 11
  • Active aircraft: 175
  • Type of aircraft: Combat helicopter
  • Military branches with aircraft in service: People’s Liberation Army Ground Force

5. Z-10

Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Aircraft on order: 12
  • Active aircraft: 106
  • Type of aircraft: Combat helicopter
  • Military branches with aircraft in service: People’s Liberation Army Ground Force

4. J-15

日本防衛省・統合幕僚監部 / Wikimedia Commons
  • Aircraft on order: 50
  • Active aircraft: 45
  • Type of aircraft: Combat aircraft
  • Military branches with aircraft in service: People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force

3. Su-30

Venezuela+Sukhoi | Photo by Sergio j. Padrón from the backseat of a Venezuelan Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MkII flying the slot position of a four-ship formation.

Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr

  • Aircraft on order: 50
  • Active aircraft: 45
  • Type of aircraft: Combat aircraft
  • Military branches with aircraft in service: People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force

2. Su-33

Dmitry Terekhov / Wikimedia Commons
  • Aircraft on order: 50
  • Active aircraft: 45
  • Type of aircraft: Combat aircraft
  • Military branches with aircraft in service: People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force

1. H120

  • Aircraft on order: 57
  • Active aircraft: 93
  • Type of aircraft: Training aircraft/helicopters
  • Military branches with aircraft in service: People’s Liberation Army Ground Force
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