China celebrates 16,000 warbirds output

China's aerospace industry has supplied more than 16,000 combat aircrafts, 60,000 aero engines and 20,000 missiles to the Chinese armed forces, announced the Commission of Science Technology and the Industry for National Defense yesterday in Beijing, China News Service reported today.

The state's aerospace sector now boasts the capacity to research and develop self-reliant, world-class aerial equipment, including fighter jets, bombers, aerial tankers, airborne early warning aircraft, helicopters, aero engines and air-to-air missiles, said Liu Gaozhuo, general manager of the Aviation Industry Corporation.

Chinese military aircrafts have gone through a general upgrade into third-generation models in recent years, while aero engines earmarked for combat aircrafts have evolved from turbojet to turbofan models, providing more thrust, Liu said.

The mass production and delivery of home-made warbirds, that offer equivalent performance levels to foreign models, have greatly narrowed the gap between the People's Liberation Army and its foreign counterparts, Liu said.

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