This infographic describes People’s Liberation Army Army (PLAA) combined arms brigade (CA-BDE) ground-based air defense operations. The PLA, as a joint force, fields a very dense and well-equipped ground-based air defense capability,
including long-range PLA Air Force (PLAAF) surface-to-air (SAM) systems participating in an integrated air defense system (IADS), along with a PLAA medium- and short-range systems tasked with defending low-level tactical airspace. The PLA’s investment
in its air defense capabilities is reflective of their emphasis on area denial coupled with the belief that denying the enemy freedom of action in the air domain is a critical enabler of virtually all other tactical operations.