On April 13, 2026, it was reported that Major General and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Feng Yufang, passed away at the age of 63. Feng had been working at the PLA Rocket Force Research Institute as a missile weapons expert. In recent times, several military academicians in the Chinese Communist Party have passed away consecutively.
According to information on the website of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Feng Yufang, a missile expert and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, died on April 13, 2026, at the age of 63. The official cause of Feng Yufang’s death has not been explained yet.
Public records show that Feng Yufang, a member of the Communist Party of China, was born on January 29, 1963, in Yuyao City, Zhejiang Province. He was a technical specialist in missile warheads and combat equipment, holding the rank of Major General and working as a researcher at the PLA Rocket Force Research Institute. He has been engaged in research on ballistic missile warheads, conventional warhead equipment, and usage technology for a long time.
Feng Yufang graduated from the National University of Defense Technology in 1987 and started working at the Fourth Research Institute of the Second Artillery Corps. In 2000, he was employed as a missile expert by the Second Artillery Corps. Feng joined the Second Research Institute of the Second Artillery Corps in 2003, was promoted to the rank of Major General in 2006, and obtained a doctoral degree from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in 2008. From 2013 to 2014, he served as the director of the Second Research Institute of the Second Artillery Corps. In January 2016, he transferred to work at the Scientific Research and Experimental Center of the Rocket Force Equipment Research Institute. He joined the Rocket Force Research Institute in July 2017 and became an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in November 2017.
Feng Yufang had a long career at the Rocket Force Research Institute and its predecessor, the Second Artillery Corps Equipment Research Institute. The Rocket Force Research Institute, located at No. 32 Xiaoying West Road, Haidian District, Beijing, is a key research institution directly under the PLA Rocket Force.
Since July 2023, a number of senior military leaders in equipment development departments and the Rocket Force have been investigated and removed from their positions, including former Rocket Force commanders Wei Fenghe, Zhou Yaning, and Li Yuchao, as well as former Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu.
In October 2024, Xiao Longxu, a missile expert of the PLA Rocket Force, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, former chief engineer of the Rocket Force Equipment Research Institute, and researcher, had his credentials as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference revoked and was expelled from the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Since 2024, a total of 10 military background academicians have been expelled from these institutions. Apart from Xiao Longxu, the remaining nine experts were also removed in recent months. They include ballistic missile weapons expert Cao Jianguo, former director and chief engineer of the China Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Group 711 Institute Jin Donghan, chief engineer of the Nuclear Industry Group Luo Qi, director of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics Liu Cangli, radar expert Wu Manqing, missile guidance control expert Wei Yiyin, nuclear weapons engineering expert Zhao Xiageng, chief designer of the J-20 fighter Yang Wei, and high power microwave specialist Liu Guozhi.
Amid an escalating purge within the Chinese military and military industry system, a series of military experts, including academicians, have passed away. In a six-day period from March 20 to 25, 2026, four Chinese military academicians died consecutively, including the pioneering figure in China’s first-generation nuclear missile telemetry system Li Youping, military information technology expert Wei Zhengyao, microelectronics specialist Wu Dexin, and communication technology expert Sun Yu. All four individuals were members of the Chinese Communist Party, with Wei Zhengyao being promoted to the rank of Major General in 1993.