The Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is using scientific research and intensive test flights of fighter jets such as the J-35A fighter to speed up the modernization of national defense and the armed forces.
Monday marks the 75th founding anniversary of the PLAAF.
In recent years, the Air Force has continued its advanced research and testing of a series of new fighter jets, represented by the J-35A, steadily accelerating the pace of aircraft upgrades. The Air Force also says it has developed a large number of cutting-edge technologies crucial to national core competitiveness and the combat effectiveness of the armed forces.
"This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Central Military Commission conferring upon us the honorary title of 'Hero Test Flight Brigade.' Over the past decade, army comrades have been bravely flying at the forefront of China's aviation equipment development, producing a group of specialized test pilots with deep theoretical foundations, superb test flight skills, and outstanding research capabilities. They have contributed to achieving new results in the modernization of the Air Force and its strategic transformation," said Li Lanxing, a test flight unit member of the Air Force.
The J-35A, China’s new-generation medium-sized multi-role stealth fighter, integrates aerodynamic, structural, and stealth design, and is crucial for the Air Force to conduct both stealth and counter-stealth operations.
The unveiling of the J-35A marked the moment when China's Air Force gained access to two stealth fighters, the J-20 and J-35A, making China the second country in the world to operate two self-developed stealth fighters at the same time.
PLA Air Force promotes fast development of fighter jets
China's first Hualong One nuclear power project in the northern part of the country saw completion of the dome installation for its No. 1 unit in Weihai City of Shandong Province on Saturday, marking a key step forward in the construction of nuclear power generation facilities in northern China, according to China Huaneng Group.
Dome installation is a major milestone in any nuclear power project construction, as the reactor's steel liner is a core safety barrier, ensuring the plant's integrity and airtightness to contain radioactivity. The No. 1 unit's dome is the top structure of the nuclear island's reactor steel liner, composed of 70 wall panels, weighing 227.9 tons and covering an area the size of four basketball courts.
"Hualong One is China's independently developed third-generation pressurized water reactor nuclear technology. It features a double-layer safety containment design and a dual active and passive safety system, with international-leading safety performance. The rate of domestically sourced key equipment exceeds 90 percent, and each unit has a 1.2 million kilowatt capacity. The first phase expansion project of the Shidao Bay has led to the first application of Hualong One in in northern China and provides valuable experience for similar projects going forward in northern China," said Chang Chongxi, general manager of Huaneng Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Development Co., Ltd.
The Huaneng Shidao Bay base is China's first major advanced nuclear power base to simultaneously apply homegrown third- and fourth-generation nuclear technologies. It is already home to the world's first fourth-generation high-temperature gas-cooled reactor demonstration plant, and will be expanded with four Hualong One pressurized water reactors in two phases. Upon completion, the base will be capable of generating 35 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power 17 million three-person households for a year.
Shidao Bay nuclear plant of 35 billion kilowatt-hours annual output hits major construction milestone
