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Zhang Aiping (; January 9, 1910 – July 5, 2003) was a Chinese military leader.
After 1949, Zhang was an important builder of the Chinese military forces. He commanded the first People's Liberation Army naval force and served as an army corps commander in the Korean War. Upon his return home he served in a series of significant military and political posts. He was made a General in 1955.
Zhang supervised the Two Bombs, One Satellite project and successfully directed the development of China's nuclear deterrent. However, he was accused of counterrevolutionary crimes and dismissed from all positions during the Cultural Revolution, when many veteran communists were attacked by Red Guards inspired by Mao Zedong's vision of continuous revolution, and one of his legs was broken as a result. Later, Zhang would comment: "The only thing the Cultural Revolution succeeded in was giving me a cane."
He reappeared in 1973 and chaired the Defense Technology Commission of the People's Liberation Army. During this time he attempted to rein in poor quality from armament factories by reestablishing government oversight over facilities which had been taken over by unsupervised workers. A biography of him by his son, PLA senior colonel Zhang Sheng, recorded the first of such incidents, when Zhang went to investigate the rocket gyroscope manufacturer Factory 230 which had become infamous for poor quality, which caused abnormally high accident rates in launch tests and notably two reconnaissance satellites being lost:
Zhang submitted a report on the conditions of the factory to the state council, which called a meeting on the subject. During the meeting, Zhang further described the status of the workers:
Zhang was able to regain control of the factory by threatening to remove anyone participating in political factionalism. He was given the support of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.
He later served as defense minister from 1982 until 1988. He served as deputy chief of the PLA general staff, vice premier, and chaired a key commission that sought to modernize the PLA. He advocated for China to develop solid-fueled missiles, land-based mobile launch capability, and further develop its nuclear weapon capabilities.
During the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, Zhang Aiping signed a letter opposing the enforcement of martial law by the Army in Beijing.
Zhang Aiping died in Beijing at the age of 93.
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