15th Airborne Corps The PLA Air Force 15th Airborne Corps ( ) , Guangzhou Military Region , comprises three airborne divisions ( 43rd , 44th , 45th airborne divisions ) . The PLA Air Force ’ s 15th Airborne Corps is China ’ s primary strategic airborne unit and it is part of the newly formed rapid reaction units ( RRU ) of the Chinese military which is primarily designated for airborne and special operation missions . Unlike most armed forces , the airborne division is part of the Air Force and its role is similar to that of the U . S . Army ' s 82nd Airborne Division . Due to limited airlift capabilities , only one of the Corps ' three divisions can deploy to any part of China within 48 hours . In the late 1990s the airlift capability of the PLAAF consisted of 10 IL - 76 heavy lift , Yu - 8 , and Yu - 7 transports , as well as Mi - 17 , Mi - 8 , S - 70 C , Z - 8 , and Z - 9 helicopters . Thus , the PLAAF could only lift one division of 11 , 000 men with light tanks and self - propelled artillery . Reports claim that a 10 , 000 man airborne division was transported to Tibet in less than 48 hours in 1988 . History . The 15th Airborne Corps traces its lineage to an infantry army in the Forth Field Army . There is a common misconception that the 15th Airborne Corps originally belonged to an infantry army in Deng Xiaoping ' s Second Field Army , owing to the fact that the 15th Army was transferred to the Second Field Army in 1950 . The unit was involved the Chinese Civil War and performed anti - bandit operations in southern Sichuan before entering Korea in February 1951 . Upon joining the Korean War , the 15th Army was involved in the Chinese Fifth Phase Offensive as part of the 3rd Army Group in April 1951 . The 15th Army later earned famed during the Battle of Triangle Hill in November 1952 , and it was considered to be one of the elite units in PLA due to its performance in battle . On July 26 , 1950 , the PLAAF ' s Airborne Troops began when the Central Military Commission established the PLAAF 1st Marine Division in Shanghai , using the Third Field Army ' s 30th Army ' s 89th Division as a basis . On August 1 , the brigade ' s Headquarters moved to Kaifeng , Henan Province , which were designated as the division ' s training bases . On September 17 , the PLA formed a PLAAF 1st Airborne Brigade by recruiting six thousand battle hardened soldiers across the 40 Armies of PLA . Following the Soviet practice , this airborne brigade was assigned to the 1st Marine Division , which eventually became an airborne division . Training of the PLAAF 1st Marine Brigade immediately begun and after merely eleven days of intensive training , on September 29 , 1950 , its soldiers made their first jump . Cui Hanqing ( 崔汉卿 ) , the commander of the 1st Airborne Battalion led the way and became the first paratrooper of PLA when he jumped first . Thereafter , the unit ' s designation changed several times , becoming the Air Force Marine 1st Division , the Paratroops Division of the Air Force , then the Airborne Division . In May 1961 , the Military Commission changed the Army ' s 15th Army , which had fought during the Korean War , into the PLAAF 15th Airborne Army , and subordinated the PLAAF ' s original airborne division to this new Army . All of the PLA ' s paratroop units belongs to the PLAAF . In the 1960s when the commander of the PLAAF , General Liu Yalou was asked to create an airborne army , he picked the 15th Army because he had been impressed by its performance in Korea . During the restructuring of the PLA in 1985 , the 15th Army was reduced to three brigades . In the 1990s , the PLA ' s concept of People ' s War was replaced by the Limited High - Intensity War concept . This in turn resulted in a return to a divisional structure with an all - over increase of 25 % in the 15th Army ' s strength . It is now more appropriately referring to it as the 15th Airborne Corps . In 1985 , most of the soldiers in the 15th Army were ordinary paratroopers trained for general supporting duties in a combined army campaign . Only 17 percent of them were specialized paratroopers . However , this percentage has now risen to 43 percent and ordinary paratroopers have dropped from 53 percent to 23 percent . The purpose of this increase in the percentage of specialized paratroopers was to make the 15th Airborne Corps into a combined arms force rather than just a mobile infantry force . Thus making it more capable of conducting independent operations in a limited but highly technological focused conflict . In May 1989 , the 15th Airborne Corps ’ 43rd and 44th Paratrooper Brigades were deployed to Beijing to enforce martial law and suppress the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 . Current . According to You Ji ' s " The Armed forces of China " , the 15th Airborne Corps has been elevated to the status of a strategic force . It is a departure from the PLA traditional airborne force concept . Doctrinal modernization change allows the 15th Airborne Corps to acts as a principal force employed for independent campaign missions in future wars . It is now accepted that the airborne troops should be used for pre - emptive attack on the enemy ' s key military targets in the rear area in order to paralyze or disrupt its preparation for an offensive . This kind of large - scale mission cannot be conducted without having a total control in the air . Also , a single - lift capability of 50 , 000 men is required for this type of missions . Currently , the PLAAF can only lift one division of 11 , 000 men with light tanks and self - propelled artillery . In 2006 Dennis Blasko wrote that the 15th Airborne ’ s headquarters is in Xiaogan , north of Wuhan in Hubei . The airborne divisions were located as follows : the 43rd Division stationed in Kaifeng , Henan ( zhwiki : 127th and 128th Airborne Infantry and 129th Airborne Artillery Regiments ) , and the 44th and 45th Divisions also in the Wuhan area at Guangshui and Huangpi . More and more focus will be placed on helicopter assaults as opposed to traditional parachute drops . In times of war , the 15th Airborne Corps can also utilize civilian aircraft such as Shaanxi Y - 9 , Shaanxi Y - 8 , Xian Y - 7 , C - 130s , HU - 1s , AS332s , Chinooks , and a very large number of Y - 5 ( 700 + ) utility transports . During a number of exercises , the 15th Airborne Corps has demonstrated it can move a regiment plus of paratroopers with light armored vehicles to anywhere within China in less than 24 hours . These exercises also show that a large number of para - gliders are in use . The 15th Airborne Corps ' weapons inventory includes 50 - 100 ZLC2000 derivatives and 2S9 self - propelled mortars , large numbers of BJ212 jeeps with 105mm recoilless rifles or HJ - 8E ATGM , and Type 89 120 mm SP anti - tank guns . The last two weapon platforms are air transportable . Additional weapons include Type 84 82mm mortars , Type 85 60mm light mortars , Type 85 107 mm MRL , and more . In 1997 , a new lightweight high - mobility vehicle entered service . Reportedly , up to ten of these vehicles can be carried by a Y - 7H military transport . Paratroopers are outfitted with portable GPS systems , night - vision goggles , radios and other high - tech equipment . The Airborne Divisions have various special units , including weapons controllers , reconnaissance , infantry , artillery , communications , engineering , chemical defense , and transportation soldiers . Today , the Airborne Divisions have three regiments plus one light artillery regiment , which are further divided into battalions and companies . Future . In early 2013 China began flight testing of the Xian Y - 20 , considered a high priority technology project by the Chinese authorities , the Y - 20 will give China a large capacity - long range strategic transport aircraft .