CONTENTS - POWER PROJECTION ........................................................................................................................ 2 PLAN University conducts Heavy-Equipment Airdrop Training ........................................

(U) PLA Update Issue 18 Issue 18 | February 20, 2024 A monthly newsletter focused on the internal and external affairs of the PLA Take Brian Waidelich and Patrick deGategno, editors With contributions from Josiah Case Welcome to the February 2024 edition of PLA UPDATE, CNA’s newsletter on the internal and external affairs of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). [...] The weight of the heavy equipment airdropped was described as “several tons.”3 A leader of the regiment said that in recent years the unit had introduced and expanded airdrop education and training at the university in response to new requirements for airlift. [...] According to a PLA Daily report, the use of the YY-20 to conduct aerial refueling for the J- 10s allowed the PLAAF to reduce its need for support from foreign countries’ ground facilities.7 YY-20 refuels J-10s en route to Riyadh on January 29 Source: The Paper. [...] According to CICIR’s report, the “Russia-Ukraine conflict” wears on and the “Gaza conflict” has emerged, and these crises “have the potential to strain relations among major countries, instigate deep adjustments in the international and regional landscape, and escalate global instability and uncertainty.” The Russia-Ukraine conflict, CICIR writes, threatens regional European security concerns, con. [...] The 12th Air Regiment is subordinate to the 4th Transport Division of the Western Theater Command Air Force, while the 37th and 38th Air Regiments are subordinate to the 13th Transport Division of the Central Theater Command Air Force.