Army Aviation Forces Build Multi-Element, Cross-Dimensional, Three-Dimensional Modern Air-Ground Combat System

Army Aviation Forces Build Multi-Element, Cross-Dimensional, Three-Dimensional Modern Air-Ground Combat System — "Treetop Height" Presents a New Landscape of System-of-Systems Operations

An army air assault brigade organizes formation flight training. Photo by PLA Daily special correspondent Xu Junqiang

Editor's Note: Chairman Xi has emphasized the need to strive to build a powerful modernized new-type army. As a landmark force in the army's transformation from planar operations to three-dimensional offense and defense, army aviation forces are working to build a multi-element, cross-dimensional, three-dimensional modern air-ground combat system. From "giving the army wings" to "making the army's wings stronger," the army aviation eagles — air-ground integrated, highly combined-arms, flexible and efficient — are continuously flying toward new heights and advancing toward an ever broader battlefield.

PLA Daily report by correspondent Fan Enda and special correspondent Xu Junqiang: In the air, iron rotors spin as attack helicopters strike targets and transport helicopters precisely deliver combat equipment; on the ground, armored vehicles surge forward as assault troops penetrate three-dimensionally aboard helicopters… Not long ago, a multi-element air-ground coordination training exercise by an army air assault brigade unfolded in full intensity.

One training exercise, multiple aircraft types clenched into a fist, multiple arms of service integrated and linked. This scene is a microcosm of army aviation forces' efforts to build a multi-element, cross-dimensional, three-dimensional modern air-ground combat system. The battlefield space of "treetop height" is presenting a new landscape of system-of-systems operations.

From "single aircraft type" to "combined eagle swarm" — training formations continuously optimized:

At a training ground in northern Henan, at the commander's order, dozens of helicopters — reconnaissance, attack, and transport — advanced in echelon, with the "combined eagle swarm" arrayed for the assault. During training, mixed formations of multiple aircraft types were organized, with pilots paired by experience level, conducting high-intensity adversarial exercises including command coordination in complex electromagnetic environments, tactical airspace takeoffs and landings, and simulated guided-weapon attacks.

In recent years, as new equipment has been fielded in succession, army air assault units have routinely organized multi-type aircraft joint training at the same venue, exploring multiple large-formation, multi-type aircraft tactics and methods.

From "support and attachment" to "primary combat employment" — role definition achieves a leap:

Seven years ago, when pilots of the army's "Fenglei" aerobatic display team performed zoom climbs in their helicopters, the pull-up angle was less than 60 degrees; today, they can fly sharp trajectories at right angles or even negative pitch angles. This leap in flight maneuvers reflects the profound transformation of army air assault forces from a supporting role on the battlefield to a primary combat force.

Over the past year, an army air assault brigade organized cross-regional mobility operations on multiple occasions, with new helicopters' flight tracks spanning more than half of China, and a series of entirely new tactics and methods were tempered and refined through combat-realistic exercises and training.

From "planar operations" to "all-domain offense and defense" — the space for training soldiers accelerates in expansion:

Assault infantry conduct anti-vertigo training to pilot standards; pilots study infantry and artillery tactics… When the reporter examined the training plan of an army air assault brigade, "cross-domain" training had already become routine.

"In the past we focused more on our own tactical-level assault actions; now, only by actively integrating into the joint operations system can we play a nodal role across a larger battlefield space," an operations and training staff officer of the brigade told the reporter. Over the years, they have jointly researched coordination data links with air force aviation units, conducted coordination exercises with joint logistics support forces, and carried out joint training with a unit of the Information Support Force… The unit's "training circle of friends" has continuously expanded, and the training ground has extended into multi-domain depth.

Rotors shake thunder, a sharp blade breaks through enemy formations. Looking across the entire military's exercise grounds: in southeastern sea areas, helicopters and landing ships train in the same domain; in the northwestern skies, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles coordinate and cooperate; on the northern steppe, helicopters and armored vehicles maneuver freely… From "giving the army wings" to "making the army's wings stronger," the army aviation eagles — air-ground integrated, highly combined-arms, flexible and efficient — are continuously flying toward new heights and advancing toward an ever broader battlefield.