South China Morning Post reported (December 25) that about 30 carrier-based fighter jet pilots were present on December 24 when Chinese President Xi Jinping commissioned the Shandong in Sanya, Hainan province, according to footage aired by state broadcaster CCTV. The turnout suggested that there were only enough pilots for two squadrons, or 24 J-15 fighter jets, instead of 36 as previously suggested by state media. Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said “The standard ratio of carrier-based fighter jets to pilots is [2:3],” Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said. “The Shandong won’t have many fighter jets because it is just entering its initial commissioning period.” CCTV reported in August that the Shandong would be able to have up to 36 J-15 fighter jets, or about 50 per cent more than the capacity of the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier. The South China Morning Post said (December 27, 2019) that a shortage of naval pilots is holding back Beijing’s ambitions to develop a truly combat-ready fleet. It quoted Chinese military analysts as saying China's second aircraft carrier 'Shandong' will need at least 70 pilots along with more supporting flight officers. PLAN's plans to further expand its fleet to five or six carriers will mean the need to train more pilots will become more urgent in the future. Beijing-based military expert and retired PLAN Senior Colonel Li Jie said although the navy is short of pilots now, the problem could be solved within two to three years. He added “The insufficient number of carrier-borne warplanes and the substantial training needed for a qualified naval pilot are the two main reasons why China is so short of pilots now. But as China places more and more emphasis on the education and training of the pilots, the problem will be gradually ironed out." The Naval Aviation University, which is responsible for the training of future naval pilots, has been working with three of the country’s leading universities – Peking, Tsinghua and Beihang – to identify and recruit future pilots. The authorities have also set up Naval Aviation Experimental Classes in high schools across the country. Each class recruits 50 students, who enjoy a national subsidy and will be put in a priority list to be admitted as a naval pilot. But Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, said the Navy pilot training programme has been marred by a string of fatal accidents although, he added, these had been unreported to avoid deterring prospective recruits. Days after China marked the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic with a huge military parade in Beijing on October 1, three airmen were killed when a transport helicopter crashed in central Henan province. Just eight days later there was another crash on the Tibetan Plateau, where a J-10 fighter jet on a low-altitude flying drill crashed into a mountain. The pilot was reported to have survived. “The attrition rate of carrier-borne pilot training, including those who might have been injured or killed in the line of duty, isn’t that well-publicised by the PLA.”
|
