On 16 August Chinese state media video released showed that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army – Navy’s (PLA-N) first batch of women shipborne pilot trainees have all passed their daytime shipborne landing qualification assessments and have now entered the night landing training and evaluation phase.
The Global Times reported that “The progress of women in pilot training is an important indicator of the maturity and systematisation of the shipborne aviation talent selection and training system, a military affairs expert said. Smears by some foreign media about China’s pilot training capabilities are, in essence, a projection of the West’s own anxieties over talent shortages, the expert added.”
“Night landings are tougher than I imagined. The entire sea is pitch black. It’s hard to tell where the sea ends and the sky begins. It’s very easy to become disoriented,” said Han Meng, a trainee pilot at the Naval Aviation University, in the CCTV News video.
“Completing today’s landing mission has given me a clearer understanding of my own abilities. I’m about to graduate, and I feel more confident about heading to my post and carrying out various maritime and far-sea missions I’ll be assigned,” she added.
All pilot trainees, regardless of gender, must meet the same rigorous physical and psychological standards required for shipborne aviation. The successful qualification of these female trainees demonstrates that the selection and training systems are capable of identifying and developing top-tier talent based on capability, not gender, Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times.
The Global Times stated “Under the synchronised training objectives of developing pilots, combatants and commanders, new pathways for talent cultivation are being explored, including growth opportunities for shipborne fighter and helicopter pilots. Training programs are being optimised across all elements, support resources coordinated across all domains, and implementation advanced across all processes, forming a systematic, integrated talent development framework.”
In July, the PLA-N’s 2026 pilot recruitment process was successfully completed. The average college entrance examination scores of admitted pilot trainees reached a record high. In recent years, through extensive outreach and publicity campaigns, enthusiasm among young applicants has continued to grow, with the recruitment pool expanding year by year. The PLA-N’s recruitment authorities have established carrier-based flight aptitude assessment platforms, introduced new testing technologies including virtual reality and biofeedback, and improved the comprehensiveness and accuracy of flight aptitude evaluations, said the PLA N.
The Global Times reported that “China has established a diversified training system encompassing academy training, airline-commissioned training and civilian supplementary pathways. Through general aviation development, China is expanding its civilian talent reserve and gradually narrowing the gap with leading aviation nations.
Sources: PLA & Global Times
