Posted on 01/24/2023 5:36:27 AM PST by FarCenter
China’s newly-trained fighter pilots are being rushed into action to intercept increasing foreign reconnaissance flights, according to recent news reports. This gives its novice pilots operational experience, reveals China’s responses to air incursions by the US and its allies, and adds new impetus to China’s reforms to its pilot training program.
Last week, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that People’s Liberation Army – Air Force (PLA-AF) fighter pilots fresh out of training had been sent to intercept increasing incursions by US and other foreign aircraft in the East and South China Seas. The report notes that in some cases pilots are put into action just a month after completing their training pipeline.
The SCMP report notes that US aircraft were involved in most of these encounters and that China is stepping up training for its new pilots to handle the situations. The report also says that the increased operations tempo is forcing China’s new pilots to learn flight skills quickly.
In particular, the report cites the experience of Song Zihao, a 24-year-old J-16 fighter-bomber pilot who was sent into action just a month after finishing postgraduate training.
“It was my first combat task, which required me to immediately transition from a training situation to a combat-ready air patrol,” Song said, as his aircraft was closest to the scene, according to the SCMP report.
Song mentioned that upon heading to the area his aircraft was targeted by air-to-air missiles, to which he responded with reciprocal measures. “I remained calm because I had faced similar scenarios on the first day of my training, seeing how senior pilots dealt with intruding foreign warplanes every day,” he said.
J-16 senior pilot Li Chao mentioned in the same SCMP report that PLA-AF pilots used several tactics to stop the intrusions, such as switching off onboard electronics to evade detection and making a full axial rotation to get behind the intruding aircraft.
Since early December 2022, SCMP notes that the US has increased close-in spy flights in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea while sending 680 reconnaissance flights in the South China Sea, with 68 of those occurring in December alone.
The same SCMP report mentions that in 2021, large US reconnaissance aircraft conducted 1,200 close-in spying flights in the South China Sea.
Shang-Hai Splash Jockeys.
Flying over non-national waters is NOT intruding.
The Russians do it to us all the time. The Asia Times needs to report on this, too.
How did the vertical stabilizers not collide?
Oh, and the Bernoulli Effect.........
I’m starting to think I can’t trust Hollywood.......
After what we have become, I can no longer, in good faith, root for our side.
I can, of course, NEVER root for the Chinese.
Can we *both* lose, somehow? Askin’ for a friend.
And the lettering is backwards on the F-14....
C’mon man!!
Now THAT one I believe!
I want to believe!
Or something
Remember the Chicom pilot that collide with the P-3 Orion at the beginning of George Bush 1st term? His name was Wong Huay, or something to the effect of wrong way.
“We” … speak for yourself. I guess I’m not as easily pushed over as you.
Setting the stage for a mid-air collision followed by a missile shot, followed by demands of Taiwan or war, followed by Biden’s surrender.
YES YOU ARE!
Evidently you don’t know China as well as I do Laz - this piece is pure propaganda. Our recon flights near their ADIZ are using Boeing 737 sized aircraft, instead of squadrons of fighters as they do in Taiwan.
The PLAAF is ramping up for Taiwan, and of course we are watching.
Asia Times is the CCP equivalent of the Washington Post.
I’ll accept that.
I still don’t like what America has become.
I’m VERY sorry to hear that.
I could not face seeing innocent Americans killed by a foreign enemy. It’s bad enough we have so many domestic ones.
Our lose, of course, means the death and injuries to our own people. You may say you want *both* to lose, but I’m sure you don’t mean American casualties.
There’s a lot of crap in the world today we don’t belong in nor stick our noses into, but freedom of the sea and air is vital to our country no matter who is in charge.
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