The "PLA Research Tracker" is a specialized tool designed to monitor and analyze the evolving structure of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) through the lens of Military Unit Cover Designators (MUCD), known as 部队代号 in Chinese. These designators serve as a unique identifier for units within the PLA, reflecting organizational changes, strategic priorities, and historical shifts within China's military framework. While the tracker provides insights into active designators the exact number of designators and the specific organizations they apply to remains largely unknown, underscoring the opaque nature of China's military organization and operations. For more indepth analysis visit and register for Data Abyss. The Critical Technologies button is inspired by the 2024 Critical and Emerging Technologies List.

• Joint Staff Department: current designators within the range of 61XXX.

• People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) (中国人民解放军空军): current designators within the range of 93XXX, 94XXX, and 95XXX.

• People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) (中国人民解放军海军): current designators within the range of 91XXX and 92XXX.

• People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) (中国人民解放军火箭军): current designators within the range of 96XXX.

• People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) (中国人民解放军战略支援部队): current designators within the range of 320XX.

• Within this vast and complex structure, "部队" (bùduì) refers to military units or formations at various levels, encompassing large entities such as armies or divisions, while "分队" (fēnduì) denotes smaller subdivisions or squads.