China ups preparations for deployment of 1st aircraft carrier

BEIJING: China has stepped up preparations for the deployment of its first aircraft carrier force after the country's new batch of carrier-based fighter pilots graduated this month.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has built up its largest carrier-based pilot team after more than three years of intensive training.

After an effective ground-based training, a new batch of pilots has just received aircraft carrier flight certification, state-run People's Daily Online reported.

In order to earn the certification, these pilots successfully handled the carrier based J-15 se fighter planes to carry out interrupted carrier landings, and also managed ski-jump take-offs using the Liaoning aircraft carrier.

The updated training system has shifted away from army-civilian cooperation toward autonomous training conducted by the navy.

One of the pilots, Zhang Chao, was killed while practicing the carrier landing during training this April.

The news comes on the back of a report in Jane's Defence Weekly last week that China's first home-built Type 001A aircraft carrier was now largely complete, Hong-Kong based 'South China Morning Post' reported.

Only the aircraft elevator, superstructure and some deck sections left to be finished, the report had said.

Speculation is rife that it may be deployed in the disputed South China Sea. Liaoning was former Soviet ship brought from Ukraine and later refurbished locally and mainly used for training. China is reportedly building two more carriers.