Exercises Modernization

A Naval Air Station Explores New Models for Aviation Materiel Procurement

海军某场站探索航材物资筹措新模式

PLA Daily (解放军报) 17 August 2026

Summary

A PLAN aviation materiel section—unit and station unspecified—replaced its previous 搬家式 ('moving-house-style') bulk transport approach with a modular system built around standardized transfer-and-storage containers, a dedicated mission materiel depot, and nine mutual-aid zones co-established with an Air Force element and a naval brigade for same-aircraft-type cross-servicing. The article documents a concrete logistics bottleneck that emerged as cross-regional joint exercise tempo increased: the volume and timeline demands of simultaneous four-location support exposed the limits of self-reliant, home-base-out resupply. The shift toward 就近就便 ('proximity and convenience') cross-service materiel sharing and an information management system for dynamic inventory control fits the broader PLA pattern of converting exercise-derived friction into institutional process change, though the station's identity, the aircraft types involved, and the exercise context remain undisclosed.

Translation

During the dog days of summer, personnel from the aviation materiel section (航材股) of a naval air station fell into formation, boarded vehicles, and set out for the front lines of an exercise and training event. Unlike the previous "moving-house-style" (搬家式) accompanying support, personnel relied on standardized transfer-and-storage containers to precisely configure materiel according to mission requirements, rapidly completing loading and transport, with deployment efficiency markedly improved.

The station's leadership explained that cross-regional support has shed the complexity and disorder caused by transporting large-item materiel, owing to the new aviation materiel procurement model (航材物资筹措新模式) the station explored in close alignment with combat training missions.

Last year, the station's aviation materiel section received accompanying support missions for off-site exercises and training on multiple occasions. Faced with heavy materiel loading demands, personnel planned ahead and transported in groups, and by virtue of a rigorous and meticulous work style and close, coordinated cooperation, successfully completed all assigned tasks. During after-action reviews, many personnel reflected that the traditional loading method made poor use of space and was slow to deploy, and was increasingly ill-suited to the demands of major missions.

"Cross-regional transfer support must move faster and supply more precisely." The chief of the station's aviation materiel section explained that in recent years, as cross-service joint exercise and training missions have continued to increase, the contradiction between tight aviation materiel supply timelines and the large volume of materiel to be transported has grown increasingly prominent, making it imperative to innovate the aviation materiel procurement and support model.

To this end, the station, building on a summary of its own support experience, innovatively introduced a "mission module" (任务模块) management model and established a dedicated mission materiel depot. Working in partnership with aviation units and academies, they optimized aviation materiel transfer checklists for aircraft of different sortie types, custom-designed three types of standardized transfer-and-storage containers tailored to transport platforms, and achieved "independent packaging, fixed-point storage, and immediate retrieval" (独立打包、定点存放、即取即走) of mission materiel. They also committed specialized technical personnel to develop a mission transfer aviation materiel information management system, implementing full-time, full-domain dynamic control over aviation materiel components in the mission depot.

Not long ago, after the station received a mission to simultaneously provide accompanying support at four locations, it leveraged the new support model to effectively shorten materiel transfer times—but new problems followed in quick succession: the old approach of "bring more for stability, ship everything from home base" (多带为稳、从家运出) still constrained support quality and efficiency to a certain degree. To resolve this problem completely, they broke with the old thinking of "handling everything themselves" (自我包揽), and jointly established with units including an Air Force element and a naval brigade nine mutual-aid zones for the same aircraft type and four industrial-sector cooperation zones. Flexibly implementing materiel supply according to the principle of "proximity and convenience" (就近就便) not only significantly improved support efficiency but also greatly enhanced the flexibility of materiel matching.

Walking into the station's aviation materiel section warehouse, various types of materiel are arranged in order according to the principle of "one item, one container; one category, one container; one mission, one module" (一件一箱、一类一箱、一任务一模块), more closely aligned with mission requirements. One warehouse custodian remarked with feeling: "Now, when carrying out cross-regional support, we have truly achieved 'deploying light, resupplying fast, and grabbing our bags and going'" (轻装前出、快速补给、拎包就走).

The station's leadership stated that in the next phase, they will continue to expand the applicable scope of the standardized transfer-and-storage containers, jointly refine the cross-regional accompanying support cooperation mechanism with more sister units, drive the transformation of aviation materiel support from "experience-based" (经验型) to "precision-based" (精准型), and consolidate the equipment support foundation for units to accomplish long-range combat training missions.

Original Chinese

三伏时节，海军某场站航材股官兵列队登车，奔赴演训一线。与以往“搬家式”伴随保障不同，官兵们依托标准化携转储运箱，按任务需求精准配备物资，快速完成装载转运，出动效率显著提升。该场站领导介绍，跨区域保障告别大件物资转运造成的繁杂忙乱，得益于他们紧贴战训任务探索的航材物资筹措新模式。去年，该场站航材股多次受领异地演训伴随保障任务。面对繁重的物资装载需求，官兵提前筹划、分组转运，凭借严谨细致的作风、默契紧密的配合，圆满完成各项任务。复盘总结时，不少官兵反思感到，传统装载方式空间利用率低、出动速度慢，越来越不适应重大任务需要。 “跨区域转场保障，必须跑得更快、供得更准。”该场站航材股股长介绍，近年来，随着跨军种联演联训任务不断增多，航材供应时限紧与携转物资体量大的矛盾日益凸显，创新航材物资筹措保障模式势在必行。为此，该场站在总结本场保障经验基础上，创新引入“任务模块”管理模式，建设专属任务物资库。他们与飞行部队和院校携手合作，优化不同架次飞机的航材携转清单，针对运输平台定制3型标准化携转储运箱，实现任务物资“独立打包、定点存放、即取即走”；投入专业技术力量，开发任务携转航材信息管理系统，对任务库航材配件实施全时全域动态管控。前不久，该场站受领四地同步伴随保障任务后，依托新型保障模式，有效缩短了物资携转时间，但新问题接踵而至：以往“多带为稳、从家运出”的老路子，仍一定程度上制约了保障质效。为彻底解决这一问题，他们打破“自我包揽”的旧思维，与空军某部、海军某旅等单位联合构建9个同机型互助区、4个工业部门协作区，按照“就近就便”原则灵活实施物资供应，不仅显著提升了保障效率，还大幅增强了物资适配灵活性。走进该场站航材股仓库，各类物资按照“一件一箱、一类一箱、一任务一模块”原则有序摆放，更加贴合任务需求。一名仓库保管员感慨地说：“如今实施跨区域保障，真正实现了‘轻装前出、快速补给、拎包就走’。” 该场站领导介绍，下一步，他们将继续拓展标准化携转储运箱的适用范围，联合更多兄弟单位共同完善跨区域伴随保障协作机制，推动航材保障由“经验型”向“精准型”转变，为部队完成远程战训任务夯实装备保障基础。