Aviation academies use supersonic fighter in pilot training

File photo: A pilot of the J-10 fighter was in position during a confrontation training on December 8, 2014.

The first batch of flight instructors of the supersonic fighter successfully completed their independent flight at the Aviation University of the Air Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLAAF) in mid February, marking that the supersonic fighter has become for the first time an aircraft model in flight training at the PLA air force aviation colleges.

Using the supersonic fighter for pilot training is an important move in the PLAAF's flight training reform. Currently, the supersonic fighter flight instructors are going through training in the Air Force Aviation University to make full preparation for instructing the cadets.

The supersonic fighter of a certain type is a major aircraft model used by the Chinese air force in the training of fighter pilots. In the past, the cadets majoring flying fighters had no access to the supersonic fighters in the aviation academies and had to spend additional one to two years to receive the supersonic fighters flight training as new pilots in the PLAAF's aviation troops after their graduation.

The situation will be changed after the reform, which permits the PLAAF aviation troops to concentrate their limited resources on combat training.

"The application of supersonic fighters in the aviation academies in the pilot training has much more significance than that," said a relevant person from the Military Training Department of the PLAAF. The cadets having received the flight training of the supersonic fighter in the aviation academies will soon adapt to the training in the aviation troops after their graduation, which means the period for pilot training and the generation of combat power will also be shortened, he added.

The supersonic fighter to be used for pilot training in the air force aviation academies is independently developed by China with excellent performance and good reliability.