China develops fighter jet for training new generation of aircraft carrier pilots

Adapted JL-9 designed for use with the catapult launch system on the Type 002 carrier, which is still in construction

Teaching a pilot how to take-off and land on a 300 metre flight deck takes two to three years, expert says

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China has modified a JL-9 fighter for training pilots who will serve on its latest generation aircraft carrier. Photo: Sina

Published: 12:00pm, 5 Apr 2020Updated: 10:29pm, 5 Apr 2020

Chinese engineers have modified an old fighter jet to create a training aircraft for pilots who will serve on the country’s newest aircraft carrier – the Type 002 – which is currently in development, according to the plane’s manufacturer.

The adapted JL-9 – also known as the FTC-2000 Mountain Eagle or “Shanying” – was produced by Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation (GAIC) specifically for use on the Type 002, which will have a catapult launch system, Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said.

Although he would not be drawn on when he thought the new carrier might be ready to take to the sea, Li said it would take “at least two to three years” to train the fighter pilots that would serve on it.

GAIC, which is a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), said last month that the naval version of the JL-9 had been completed, and published artists’ impressions of how the jet and carrier would look together.

An artist’s impression of the Type 002 aircraft carrier which features a catapult launch system. Photo: Handout

Unlike China’s two active aircraft carriers – the Liaoning and the Shandong – which use a ski-jump launch system for the J-15 jets they carry, the Type 002 will be fitted with an electromagnetic catapult similar to that used on the USS Gerald Ford.

While the construction of the Type 002 began in 2018 and is expected to be completed next year, it is not yet known when it will be ready to put to sea.

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