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Saturday, May 19, 2018

Screaming Dragons

The Chinese reorganized their 35,000-strong airborne corps of 3 divisions into one based on six brigades, making them more flexible.

Instead of requiring a full division for all combat and support capabilities, now China can have that in a single brigade:

In April 2018 the Chinese Air Force 15th Airborne Corps completed a yearlong reorganization effort that involved disbanding the three airborne divisions (the 43rd, 44th and 45th) and reassigning divisional headquarters and support troops as well as the units of the airborne regiments to six independent airborne infantry brigades (127th, 128th, 130th, 131st, 133rd, and 134th) which now report directly to the headquarters of the 15th Airborne Corps. While the new airborne brigades have some support troops they now also receive logistics, maintenance, engineer and signal support from the 15th Corps Strategic Support Brigade, as well as the Aviation Brigade (over a hundred helicopters and large UAVs) and Special Operations Brigade (airborne commandos and recon troops).

As Strategypage notes, the airborne corps would be a key force in invading Taiwan.

Personally, I think the paratroopers go right for the jugular.