As China develops its armed forces, what role does competition with the United States play

in shaping the military aerospace capabilities development of the People’s Liberation Army

(PLA)? The U.S. Air Force (USAF) vision statement lays out a goal of “global vigilance, global

reach, and global power,” a set of ambitions that PLA authors appear to be mimicking with their

“bright eyes, strong fists, and long arms” (光眼，重拳，长臂) slogan for the PLA Air Force

(PLAAF). Similarly, Chinese authors treat the quest for the capacity to “simultaneously be able

to conduct offensive and defensive integrated air and space operations” in ways that appear to

mimic the thinking of the U.S. armed forces on military aerospace. This study examines how the

PLA, in seeking to accomplish the Chinese Communist Party’s missions, strives to match or

exceed the capabilities of the United States in military aerospace. It also explores how, in

benchmarking its ambitions against the U.S. military, the PLA approaches the question of

whether to copy from a leading foreign aerospace power or to develop a new and innovative

approach to accomplishing a mission or fielding a capability. The study reviews the drivers for

Chinese military aerospace development and identifies instances when China has copied or

innovated in military aerospace development over the past two decades while also noting those

areas where China has chosen not to compete.

The research reported here was commissioned by the USAF and conducted within the

Strategy and Doctrine Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE as part of a fiscal year 2017

project focused on the growing reach of Chinese aerospace capabilities.

RAND Project AIR FORCE

RAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF), a division of the RAND Corporation, is the U.S. Air

Force’s federally funded research and development center for studies and analyses. PAF

provides the Air Force with independent analyses of policy alternatives affecting the

development, employment, combat readiness, and support of current and future air, space, and

cyber forces. Research is conducted in four programs: Force Modernization and Employment;

Manpower, Personnel, and Training; Resource Management; and Strategy and Doctrine. The

research reported here was prepared under contract FA7014-16-D-1000.

Additional information about PAF is available on our website:

www.rand.org/paf/

This report documents work originally shared with the U.S. Air Force in September 2017.

The draft report, issued on September 26, 2017, was reviewed by formal peer reviewers and U.S.

Air Force subject-matter experts.