The August 1st or Ba Yi Aerobatics Team is the aerobatic demonstration team of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). It was founded in 1962 and named after the date of founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), August 1, 1927.

History

It is named after the date of the founding of the PLA (August 1, 1927), and is a part of the PLAAF Beijing Military Region. The unit was founded in 1962 and has over the years performed more than 500 times for delegations from 166 countries and regions. Its first show abroad happened in August 2013 during the Russian airshow MAKS.

Aircraft

The August 1st aerobatic team (Ba Yi aerobatic team) initially equipped the fleet with JJ-5 fighter-trainer jets, a Chinese version of Russian made MiG-17. In later years the JJ-5s were replaced by Chengdu J-7EB, then again was replaced by the newer J-7GB (2001). There are about 8 aircraft in the fleet, but only 6 are set for any airshow. In May 2009, the team upgraded their jets to the much more advanced Chengdu J-10A multirole fighter. In 2023 it reequipped with the C-Version of the Chengdu J-10, first appearing at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) event in Malaysia.

Base

Appearances

Accidents