The 5th Aviation Division (People's Republic of China) (中国人民解放军空军航空兵第五师, Unit 94590) is the first attack aircraft

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the

People's Liberation Army Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...

, and a unit of the Central Military Commission's strategic reserve, founded on December 5, 1950. Established on December 5, 1950 at Kaiyuan, Liaoning Province, it was part of the Jinan Military Region Air Force. The division was based in

Weifang Weifang () is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The city borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Rizhao to the south, Qingdao to the east, and looks out to the ...

, Shandong. It consists of the 13th Air Regiment (located in Weifang); 14 Air Regiment (based in Ming, composed of Xi'an JH-7 and the

Nanchang Q-5 The Nanchang Q-5 (; NATO reporting name: Fantan), also known as the A-5 in its export versions, is a Chinese-built single-seat, twin jet engine ground- attack aircraft based on the Shenyang J-6. The aircraft is primarily used for close air ...

, at Xinyang Minggang Airport); and the 15th Air Regiment (in Weifang). The division has participated in the National Day military parade, the

Sino-Vietnamese War The Sino-Vietnamese War (also known by other names) was a border war fought between China and Vietnam in early 1979. China launched an offensive in response to Vietnam's actions against the Khmer Rouge in 1978, which ended the rule of the C ...

, the round to Yunnan, hydrogen bomb tests, and the test flight on the Tibetan plateau.

History

In accordance with the Central Military Commission's approval (telegraphed on November 19, 1950), the PLA Air Force commanded the establishment of the 5th Aviation Division on November 25, 1950. The 5th Aviation Division would consist of the 13th and 15th Air Regiments, formerly the 13th Air Regiment and the 15th Supply Squadron, which had both been under the 617th Group of the 206th Independent Infantry Division. The 13th Air Regiment had been formed on August 1, 1950 as part of the 617th Group of the 206th Independent Infantry Division when it received 35 top students from the 1st and 3rd aviation academies. Its equipment started with

Ilyushin Il-10 The Ilyushin Il-10 (Cyrillic Илью́шин Ил-10, NATO reporting name: "Beast"Gunston 1995, p.108.) was a Soviet ground attack aircraft developed at the end of World War II by the Ilyushin construction bureau. It was also license-built in C ...

planes left in

Xuzhou Xuzhou (徐州), also known as Pengcheng (彭城) in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in the built-up area ma ...

after the withdrawal of the

Soviet Volunteer Group The Soviet Volunteer Group was the volunteer part of the Soviet Air Forces sent to support the Republic of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War between 1937 and 1941. After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact wa ...

. It became the PLA Air Force's first unit of attack aircraft, and on November 25, 1950 it moved from Xuzhou to Kaiyuan. The first division commander was Ma Yong, and the first political commissar was Ma Zeying. The 5th Attack Division was still listed by the

IISS The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England. The 2017 Global Go To Think ...

''Military Balance'' in 2014 with two regiments, one of Q-5E and one of JH-7A.IISS 2014, 238. Around May 2017 the 15th Air Regiment (serials 11x6x) was reorganised as the 15th Aviation Brigade.

References

{{People's Liberation Army Divisions Aviation Divisions of the People's Liberation Army Military units and formations established in 1950 Military units and formations disestablished in the 2010s