Air Force flies into the high-tech era

China now has better information and electronic warfare capabilities as the People's Liberation Army has deployed some of the world's most advanced support aircraft, an aviation analyst said.

"A total of six types of electronic warfare planes and airborne early-warning and control aircraft were displayed at Thursday's parade. They are now key components of the PLA's information and electronic warfare capabilities," said Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine.

"These aircraft will cooperate in an actual strike operation to form a unified platform that is capable of integrating not only combat planes but also ground weapons and naval hardware," he said, noting this is a major breakthrough in the PLA's effort to strengthen its joint operational capabilities.