In September 2022, Chinese media outlets posted a brief news report mentioning the transformation of China’s naval aviation from a shore-based service to ship-based one. Therefore, the initial aim of this report was to describe this process and the transfer of individual units. 

By mid-2023, it was obvious that the PLAN retained control over its carrier-based aviation units, special missions units as well as helicop­ter and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) units, in addition to naval aviation training units, headquarters aviation elements and selected airfield stations.

Once it became clear that several units had already been handed-over and integrated into the existing PLAAF command struc­ture, the focus of this report shifted slightly from purely describing this process to including a comparison of the Orbats from before and during this reform. This was in order to investigate a likely scenario for the coming years as well as discuss some of the consequences and how these might transform both the remaining PLAN Naval Aviation and the PLAAF. 

Ultimately, it is clear that this most recent reform is merely another intermediate step towards a true ‘Blue-Water Navy’; a move that  will still require a lot of time to finalise.

This publication also includes a thorough investigation of the new system of H numbers in use with the PLAN, complete with what is currently known by autumn 2025 about the seven-digit system.