The Guangzhou Military Region Air Force (MRAF), headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, is one of the seven MRAFs under of the PLA Air Force. It is the air component of the Guangzhou Military Region (MR), responsible for the air defence of Southern China and providing air support for the ground and naval forces. The Guangzhou MRAF is under the dual leadership of the Headquarters Air Force (HqAF) and the Guangzhou MR. The commander of the Guangzhou MRAF is concurrently a deputy commander of the Guangzhou MR.
The Guangzhou MRAF deploys the only airborne force unit of the PLA—the 15th Airborne Corps, which consists of three airborne divisions (43rd, 44th, and 45th). The airborne corps receives direct command from the Central Military Commission (CMC) in Beijing, but its training and logistics are supported by the Guangzhou MRAF.
The aviation element of the Guangzhou MRAF include: the 2nd Fighter Division (Suixi), 8th Bomber/Tanker Division (Leiyang, Hengyang), 9th Fighter Division (Foshan, Shaoguan), 13th Airlift Division (Hankou, Dangyang), 18th Fighter Division (Changsha, Shaoyang), and 42nd Fighter Division (Nanning, Guilin).
Aircraft deployed by the Guangzhou MRAF include H-6A, H-6E, and H-6 tanker (two regiments), J-10 (one regiment), Su-30MKK (one regiment), Su-27 and J-11 (one regiment), J-8D (one regiment), J-7E (2~3 regiment), J-7B (4~5 regiments). The 13th Division is equipped with 14 Russian IL-76MD jet transports and some Y-7H and Y-8 turboprop transports.
Major airbases include Suixi (Guangdong), Foshan (Guangdong), Shaoguan (Guangdong), Datuopu (Changsha, Hunan), Nanning (Guangxi), Guilin (Guangxi), Hankou (Hubei), Dangyang (Hubei), Leiyang (Hunan), and Hengyang (Hunan).
The air defence element of the Guangzhou MRAF includes three surface-to-air missile (SAM) brigades, one SAN regiment, and an AAA regiment.
Command and control elements of the Guangzhou MRAF include the Nanning Command Post, the Wuhan Command Post, a radar brigades and a communications regiment.
