Located in Beijing, the Headquarters Air Force (HqAF) serves as a functional organ of the Central Military Commission (CMC) responsible for managing the Air Force, as well as the highest command authority of all operational, educational, R&D, specialised support, and logistic support units in the PLAAF. The HqAF is organised into four first-level departments—Commander Department, Political Department, Logistics Department, and Equipment (or Armament) Department—and their subordinated second-level functional departments and bureaus.
The HqAF was established on 11 November 1949, which also marked the birth of the PLAAF. In May 1957, the PLA Air Force and the PLA Air Defence Force were merged under the Air Force’s leadership. In the 1950s, the HqAF had 11 first-level departments, and this was reduced to four in 1985. The Aeronautical Engineering Department was renamed Equipment Department in the late 1990s.
While the HqAF is responsible for policy, training and equipping the Air Force, operational command is delegated to the Military Region (MR) and Military Region Air Force (MRAF) headquarters, where is the MR commander is responsible for combined operations, and the MRAF commander, who is also an MR deputy commander, is responsible for flight operations within the MR. The MRAF is under the dual-leadership of the HqAF and the MR headquarters.
The HqAF has a number of directly-subordinated units, including the 34th Air Division, the General Communications Station, and few communications and engineering regiments.
The 15th Airborne Corps, though being a service branch of the PLAAF, receives direct command from the CMC.
Commander Department
The Commander Department is the equivalence of the General Staff Department (GSD) of the PLA. It is responsible for the PLAAF’s organisational structure, policy, operations, intelligence, training, and recruiting. The Air Force Chief of Staff serves as the director of the Commander Department.
The subordinated second-class organs of the Commander Department include: General Office (bangongshi), Political Department (zhengzhi bu), Operations Department (zuozhan bu), Intelligence Department (qingbai bu), Communications Department (tongxin bu), Training Department (xunlian bu), Schools Department (junxiao bu), Military Affair Department (junwu bu), Anti-Aircraft Artillery Department (gaopao bu), Electronic Countermeasures and Radar Department (dianzi duikang leida bu), Administrative Bureau (xingzheng guanli ju), Air Traffic Bureau (hangxing ju), Navigation Department (linghhang bu), Weather Bureau (qixiang ju), Confidential Bureau (baomi ju), and Directly Subordinated Supply Department (zhishu gongying bu).
Political Department
The Political Department is the equivalence of the General Political Department (GPD) of the PLA, responsible for ideology and political work, party affair, moral and warfare, recreation, cultural education, mass work, and teaching patriotism, as well as responsible for officer appointments, promotions, and removal. The department is headed by a director.
The subordinated second-class organs of the Political Department include: General Office (bangongshi), Party Affair Department (zuzhi bu), Personnel Department (ganbu bu), Propaganda Department (xuanchuan bu), Security Department (baowei bu), Cultural Department (wenhua bu), Liaison Department (lianluo bu), Mass Works Department (qunzhong gongzuo bu or qungong bu). Other subordinated organs include Air Force Newspaper Office (kongjun baoshe), Military Court and Military Procuratorate.
Logistics Department
This department is the equivalence of the General Logistics Department (GLD) of the PLA, responsible for supply and support for operations, training, and living. The department is headed by a director.
Its subordinated second-class departments include: Political Department (zhengzhi bu), Finance Department (caiwu bu), Quartermaster Department (juxu bu), Medical Department (weisheng bu), Transportation Department (yunshu bu), Fuels Department (youliao bu), Materials Department (wuzi bu), Airfield Construction Department (xiujian bu), Airfield and Barracks Management Department (jichang yingfang guanli bu), Aviation Materials Department (hangkong cailiao bu), Directly Subordinated Supply Department (zhishu gongying bu), and Audi Bureau (shenji ju).
Armament Department
This department was previously known as Equipment-Technical Department (Zhuangbei Jishu Bu), mainly responsible for aircraft maintenance. Following the creation of the PLA General Armament Department (GAD) in 1998, the PLAAF formed the Armament Department on the basis of the Equipment-Technical Department, with some second-class departments previously subordinated to the Commander and Logistics Departments reassigned to it.
The Armament Department is headed by a director. Its subordinated second-class departments include: General Office (bangongshi), Political Department (zhengzhi Bu), Field Maintenance Department (waichang bu), Procurement Department (dinggou bu), Factory Management Department (gongchang guanli bu), and Military Science Research Department (junshi kexue yanjiu bu).
