China’s aircraft carrier pilots upskill for demanding night missions

A group of instructors qualify to train other personnel for the difficult task of landing and taking off in the dark from the carrier’s deck

The skills are essential to modern warfare, analyst says

Reading Time:2 minutes

A Chinese fighter pilot prepares for a night take-off on the Liaoning aircraft carrier. Photo: Handout

Published: 8:00pm, 9 Aug 2021Updated: 10:53pm, 9 Aug 2021

China’s naval air force is expanding its night combat strength with a new group of fighter pilots qualifying as instructors for night-time take-offs and landings on the country’s aircraft carriers.

According to PLA Daily, several pilots from the People’s Liberation Army Naval Aviation University gained the certification after performing the manoeuvres in J-15 fighter jets on the carrier Liaoning in high winds on the Bohai Sea.

State broadcaster CCTV quoted Wang Yong, a university instructor who took part in the certification exam, as saying the risks of landing at night on the vessel were many times greater than that of landing during the day.

“It not only requires the pilots to have excellent flying skills, but also requires the pilots to have a strong heart and top mental strength,” Wang said.

PLA Daily quoted a landing signals officer on the Liaoning as saying that low visibility was the biggest challenge of landing on a carrier at night.

“There is no surrounding environment for reference. Relying on only light signals on the carrier to accurately land on the small flight deck is a huge test of a pilot’s skill and courage,” the officer was quoted as saying.

Night missions play an important role in surprise attacks. Photo: Handout