- The promotion of flight officers on Chinese aircraft carriers reflects the American approach.
- A CCTV documentary highlights another similarity: the Chinese navy is now training its own pilots.
China's navy has abandoned its American counterpart's command structure, and state-run CCTV this week released information about one of the first destroyers to take command of an aircraft carrier.
J-15 pilot Xu Yi landed on the deck of China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning on its first night in 2017, and in 2020 was appointed the general manager (CEO) of Shandong, the country's first built aircraft carrier. , warships and commandos.
"As a naval weapons user, I will share my [naval aviation experience] with colleagues in the equipment department and try to improve our operating systems, find better ways to help Chinese aircraft carriers," he said. Sue: Surveillance documentary.
According to CCTV, Xu, who is now a naval commodore, continues to pilot the J-15 Flying Shark during regular training.
His appointment is just one example of the PLA Navy's push to reach American service, where almost all commanders and senior officers are stripped of their fighter pilot rank. In the past, almost all commanders of China's first two aircraft carriers were former commanders of destroyers and frigates.
Zhou Chenming, a Beijing-based researcher at the Center for Military and Scientific Analysis, welcomed the PLA Navy's efforts to promote more air officers to command positions in China's carrier strike groups.
“The promotion of the Xu is a good initial pilot project for the Navy. A senior officer with naval aviation experience is very helpful in the overall coordination of the giant air platform and routine operations,” he said.
Xu is not the first Chinese pilot to pilot a warship. According to former state media, the record was set in the early 1990s by Admiral Bo Yaoping, deputy commander of the North Sea Fleet.
Beau joined the Air Force in 1979 when he was 17 years old, and by 25 he could fly four types of fighter jets. In 1987, he was admitted to the Guangzhou Naval Academy and four years later he was given the command of a frigate.
The June launch of China's third and most advanced carrier, the Fujian, has boosted demand for top pilots like Xu.
The aircraft's new combat platform electromagnetic catapults, similar to those on the USS Gerald R. Ford supercarrier, mean the PLA fleet must master new launch and rescue systems. Both the Liaoning and Shandong bridges are ski jump designs.
In 2017, instead of selecting qualified candidates from aviation, the PLA Navy established its own flight training school, similar to the US Navy's approach.
The CCTV documentary shows the impact of the changes, which also provided the PLA Air Force with more resources to focus on its specialty, air combat readiness, linking new innovative approaches developed after the restructuring.
Air Force pilots developed an affordable but highly effective "high and low combination" in their training, which allowed the most advanced J-20 stealth fighter to integrate with the older and more sophisticated J-16 and J-16 bombers. -10, according to CCTV. .
Fu Qianshao, a retired PLA Air Force technical specialist, said the breakthrough air combat formation could be seen as another strategic lesson to be learned from the United States as the J-20 plays against the American F-22 and The role of J. 16 and J-10C designated F-22.15EX and modified F-16V.
“Stealth fighters like the J-20 and F-22 are very powerful, but they can't carry a lot of weapons. Heavy bombers like the J-16 or F-15EX can solve this problem, while light fighters like the F-16V and J-10C can provide cover," he said. Foo.
