Native name 李永泰 Name Li Yongtai Nickname(s) Tank in the sky Role Politician | Years of service 1945–1993 Battles and wars Korean War Battles/wars Korean War Rank Lieutenant general | |
Born November 4, 1928
Tonghua, Jilin, China ( 1928-11-04 ) Allegiance People's Republic of China Commands held Commander of the Wuhan Military District Air Force Died October 5, 2015, Beijing, China Service/branch People's Liberation Army Air Force | ||
Li Yongtai (4 November 1928 – 5 October 2015) was a lieutenant general in the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) of China and a politician. He fought in the Korean War and later served as deputy commander of the PLAAF.
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Military career
Born in Tonghua, Jilin Province, China to an ethnic Korean family, Li joined the Eighth Route Army in October 1945, and became a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) the following year. He began learning to fly in October 1949, and after China's entry into the Korean War, served as a member of the People's Volunteer Army Air Force. He shot down four American F-86s, earning him the nickname "tank in the sky". After the war he continued his rise through the ranks, and in 1975 was named commander of the Wuhan Military Region Air Force. From 1982 to 1993 he served as deputy commander of the PLAAF. He was awarded the rank of lieutenant general in 1988.
Political career
Li served as a representative to the 10th and 12th National Congresses of the CPC, and to the 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th National People's Congresses (NPC). In the 8th and the 9th Congresses he was named a member of the NPC Standing Committee, and also served on the NPC Ethnic Affairs Committee.