A YY-20 tanker attached to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Southern Theater Command refuels two J-10 fighter jets at the same time during a recent flight training exercise. Photo: China Military

Chinese warplanes in active service will deliver mock combat demonstrations among other flight performances to the general public at the upcoming People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force open-day event in a move to show its development on a path toward becoming world-class.

Coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the victory in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53), the event will also commemorate the great triumph, organizers announced on Friday.

The PLA Air Force open-day event and the Changchun aviation show will be held in Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin Province from Wednesday to Sunday, featuring air dynamic performances, ground static displays, exhibition halls and other related activities, the Global Times learned from the PLA Air Force.

In addition to traditional flight performances by teams including the Bayi, the Red Falcon and the Sky Wing as well as parachuting performances by teams including the Blue Eagle and the Bayi, this year's event will add several new performances, Senior Colonel Zhang Shouhai of the PLA Air Force Staff said at a press conference held in Beijing on Friday.

New performances include mock air combat between a J-10S fighter jet and a J-11BS fighter jet, as well as between two JL-10 trainer jets, Zhang said.

The YU-20 aerial tanker will be another star on display, as it will conduct mock aerial refueling demonstration for a J-20 stealth fighter jet and a J-16 heavy fighter jet simultaneously, fly low under the escort of four J-20s, and release jamming flares in three separate performances, according to Zhang.

These flight performances are all rearranged from combat maneuvers, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Friday.

Performing these challenging, combat-oriented maneuvers to the general public will demonstrate the outstanding capabilities of the PLA Air Force's aircraft as well as the skills and confidence of its pilots, Song said.

In total, there will be 45 aircraft in 13 types participating in air performances and 96 different types of equipment across 137 ground displays, said Lieutenant Colonel Hou Jian from the Equipment Department of the PLA Air Force.

New equipment such as the Z-20KA helicopter, the RCT195B data chain tracking and disturbing station and the 120mm self-propelled howitzer will join the static displays, while legacy aircraft once used by the Chinese air force will also be put on display, Hou said, noting that they would also indicate the path the air force has emerged from, from importing foreign equipment to independent research, then to today's innovative development.

Other weapons and equipment on display include the WZ-10 reconnaissance drone and the KJ-500A early warning aircraft.

Air power has strategic military significance, so the PLA Air Force is steadily promoting its equipment development based on the strategic demands of quickly building a powerful air force capable of both attack and defense to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, Hou said.

The open-day event will be a display of periodical achievement in the PLA Air Force's progress toward becoming a world-class air force, and it will convey confidence to the public, that the PLA Air Force is becoming increasingly capable of fighting and winning wars, said Senior Colonel Xie Peng, a spokesperson from the PLA Air Force.

This year's PLA Air Force open-day event coincides with the 70th anniversary of the victory in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, so the event will also invite representatives from the hero units that participated in the war to commemorate the history and tell stories in air combat, Xie said.

At a time when military tensions between China and the US in the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea remain high, and the US is scheming to contain China through military means, it is important to remind the Americans of the PLA's capabilities and spirit, observers said.