By Wang Chuan and Li Jianwen
SHIJIAZHUANG, July 22 -- The first batch of J-10 cadet pilots, 23 years old on average and directly trained by the air forceflying college, got ready to be assigned to the combat units of the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) upon graduation on July 21.
In 2020, the PLAAF launched the trial of the new mode of pilot cadets training at the Shijiazhuang Flying College, in which the J-10 fighter jet was introduced as the trainer aircraft for the first time. According to the previous training mode, a pilot cadet needed to undergo four to six years of flight training before being qualified for flying the third-generation fighter jet. Now the pilot cadets trained in accordance with this new mode are able to obtain combatant qualification for third-generation fighters after receiving only three years of flight training.
These cadets were randomly chosen from the pilot cadets of the PLA Air Force Aviation University. With the J-10 fighter jets introduced to be their trainer aircrafts, they underwent all the training subjects for obtaining the combatant qualification according to the training program of combat troops, and the level of training was also comparable to that of the combat troops with the same type of aircraft.
The new training mode highlights raising these pilot cadets' air combat capability. During the training process，the pilot cadets held confrontational drills with the PLA Army air-defense troops, and the proportion of tactical training items, such as the multi-aircraft air combat and live firing operations, has also been increased. All these efforts have helped accelerate the transformation from pilot cadets to qualified combatants, who are able to perform combat missions on third-generation aircraft upon graduation.
The trial of the new training mode serves as an important measure for the PLAAF to implement the strategy of strengthening the armed forces through training of competent personnel in the new era. It is of great significance to deepening the reform of military training and speeding up the generation of new combat capabilities.
