1st Army Aviation (Helicopter) Regiment

Last updated: 14 January 2008

Based at the Xinxiang Airfield in Henan Province, the 1st Army Aviation Regiment (previously known as “Army Aviation Group”) was one of PLA’s earliest army aviation units formed in 1987. The regiment was previously subordinated to the Jinan Military Region, but was reassigned to the 54th Group Army in 2003.

The regiment received the first batch of Mi-17 (NATO codename: Hip) helicopters China acquired from Russia in the early 1990s. These helicopters were mainly used for the transport role. In 2003, the regiment received some additional Mi-17V7 helicopters, which are capable of carrying weapons on their external racks. The regiment also operated three Russian Mi-6 (NATO codename: Hook) helicopters, which are possibly no longer airworthy.

According to a report by the PLA daily in October 2007, the new training doctrines of the regiment are now very much focused on “ground attack and low-altitude manoeuvre”, enabling the transformation of the regiment’s role from “transport and utility support” to “airborne firepower and assault”. The regiment emphasised on the training at night, in complex weather, over unfamiliar territories, and under complex electromagnetic conditions. The report also revealed that the regiment conducts training with other ground forces units regularly to improve its air-land battle capability.

View Larger Map