In the 70s of the last century, Vietnam was influenced by hegemonism, regarded China as an "adversary", and constantly created incidents on the Sino-Vietnamese border.
Although China has always adhered to the principle of peaceful coexistence, Vietnam's arrogance has not diminished.
On February 17, 1979, China could not bear to launch a self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, which lasted for a month, and the international community widely regarded it as a "punitive war".
It is worth mentioning that China did not send its air force to fight in this war, and the air forces of China and Vietnam did not fight in the air.
After the end of the war, all countries wondered why the Chinese Air Force did not participate in the war, not only did it not carry out ground strikes, but also did not even participate in support operations.
Some people believe that it may be because the Chinese Air Force has not yet developed, or that the Chinese Air Force is afraid of war. However, this is not the case. All this is because of Deng Gong's thoughtfulness and foresight.
The forward-looking and persistent military command ability and strategic vision of the Air Force are recognized, and the "Liu Deng Army" during the War of Liberation was famous in all directions, and his strategy of "advancing thousands of miles into Dabie Mountain" turned the tide and changed the situation of the war.
As early as the wartime, he saw the importance of the air force in the military, and actively devoted himself to the construction of the air force after the founding of New China. The leaders of the party and the state have attached great importance to the building of the air force, especially in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and we have realized the importance of air power, which has strengthened our conviction. ”
On June 29, 1955, Shenyang Aircraft Industry Group Corporation was established, mainly responsible for the development of fighter aircraft. For confidentiality reasons, the company changed its name to "State-owned 112 Factory".
Soon after its establishment, Shenfei achieved remarkable results and successfully developed the MiG-17 aircraft. When inspecting Shen Fei, he also personally performed a test flight.
It is worth mentioning that Wu Keming, China's first jet fighter test pilot and a pilot hero of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, flew this plane.
** During the inspection, he made a bold statement: "China's prosperity and strength are inseparable from a powerful air force!" In the next 20 years, he has been paying close attention to the development of China's fighter aircraft and the development of anti-aircraft missiles.
Under his guidance and support, the "Hongqi-1" missile, which has excellent performance, was successfully developed. In 1978, we actively advocated and promoted the implementation of reform and opening up, and history has proved that reform and opening up not only greatly promoted the development of China's economy, but also became an important turning point in the development of our country.
In order to achieve the goal of "integrated operations of the sea, land and air," the sea, land, and air forces must be coordinated in a coordinated manner, of which the air force is a vital part. In order to build a modern air force, he put forward three forward-looking ideas: "First, it is necessary to aim at mastering future air control, second, the air force needs to have the ability to coordinate and operate independently, and third, it is necessary to establish an air force with both offensive and defensive capabilities." ”
Since then, the Chinese Air Force has embarked on a journey of modernization. Before the self-defense and counterattack war against Vietnam in February 1979, although China went through a special period and the development of the military industry was affected, China's air force was still strong, and the rumors that China's air force "did not meet the standard" during the counterattack war against Vietnam were self-defeating.
In January 1979, a month before the outbreak of the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, the Chinese Air Force had already implemented its strategic deployment in the Sino-Vietnamese border area. In the early days, the Chinese Air Force deployed about 400 fighters about 400 kilometers away from Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, of which the J-6 was the main force, and there were a certain number of J-5, J-7, H-5 and J-5.
At the peak of the Chinese Air Force, the number of fighters in the border areas reached 900, and the number of J-6 models was as high as more than 600.
Compared with the British and American fighters at that time, the J-6 was still an excellent artillery platform. "Of course, in order to deploy such a large number of fighters, the Chinese Air Force has dispatched a large combat team, and according to the records, the Chinese Air Force has mobilized more than 20 fighter aviation regiments.
Although the J-6 is deficient in all-weather combat, the Vietnamese army still places a high value on the Chinese air force, as China is also equipped with J-7, J-5, J-5 and the more powerful H-5 bomber.
The Chinese Air Force has a complete combat system and sufficient equipment, and has the ability to respond to both "quick battles" and "protracted wars". And the Vietnamese air force at that time was insignificant compared to it.