People's Liberation Army Navy - Navy Aviation Training Reforms
In the past, the carrier-based aviation unit used elites from the entire navy and even the air force to conduct carrier-based aircraft modification training. This can increase the success rate of aircraft carrier take-off and landing, quickly form combat effectiveness, and explore operational experience suitable for Chinese aircraft carriers, but it is not a long-term solution. Not only is the number of pilots certified for aircraft carrier qualifications scarce in each batch, but also has a great impact on the combat effectiveness and combat readiness of the original troops.
While having two aircraft carriers and building larger new aircraft carriers one after another, the Navy began to improve the carrier-based aircraft pilot training process, adopting a dual-track parallel approach of "modification mode" and "growth mode", and gradually transitioned to the latter. Naval Aviation University directly trains carrier-based aircraft pilots from the flight students enrolled in high schools.
By 2020, all the navy recruited pilots have scored more than one line in the college entrance examination, with an average score of 49 points above the first line. The number of enrolled fighter pilots accounted for 49% of the total number of admissions. The "growth mode" will open up the carrier-based fighter pilot growth and training link, shorten the talent training cycle, increase the number of single-batch certifications, improve the quality and efficiency of training, and enable the training of carrier-based fighter pilots to enter the "fast lane", which can effectively extend the carrier-based fighter pilot training. The number of years that the pilots have served has produced huge benefits.
More Rigorous Training Scenarios
As Naval Aviation adapts to more offensive and defensive missions at further distances and the possibility of having its home air- fields destroyed or damaged by enemy missiles, it has changed the way its units and individuals train.
In 1996, the North Sea Fleet formed a Blue Force aviation ground-attack unit that simulates enemy tactics. In addition, individual pilot training on simulators in all three fleets was not emphasized as much until the Outline of Military Training and Evaluation (OMTE) was implemented in 2002.
The OMTE requires Naval Aviation pilots to conduct more rigorous training than before. For example, pilots fly more long-distance, over-water, cross-border missions during the day and night. Many of the flights are at minimum altitude (i.e., below 100 meters) or low altitude (above 100 meters) and in poor weather conditions. Vessels with helicopters have focused on helicopter operations during day and night that are gradually moving further from the vessel.
The OMTE also requires Naval Aviation pilots to take more responsibility for building their own flight plans, rather than merely implementing flight plans developed by higher headquarters or someone else in the regiment. To train in a real-war situation, Naval Aviation has increased its training at unfamiliar airfields, in unfamiliar airspace, and under unknown conditions. Some training events include mobility transits to another airfield when an enemy attack is imminent.
Naval Aviation divides the day into three flying periods and has increased its use of longer flying periods that transition from day into night, night into after midnight, and late night into day. Naval Aviation is also now conducting some "rolling-type" training events that include activity through all three flying periods without rest.
In addition, rather than conducting a single flight subject per sortie, Naval Aviation is now conducting two or more flight subjects per sortie. Attacks on surface vessels are now conducted from multiple altitudes and multiple directions by increasingly large groups of aircraft.
To deal with the higher training tempo, Naval Aviation has begun placing greater emphasis on psychological and fatigue training for its pilots.
Logistics and Maintenance
To meet the needs of a more mobile force and to deal with possible damage to airfields and aircraft during a conflict, Naval Aviation field stations are moving from providing logistics and maintenance support for a single type of aircraft at home to supporting operations for multiple types of aircraft at home and during mobile operations. Naval Aviation is also practicing rapid repair of facilities, runways, and aircraft following an enemy attack.
Naval Aviation airfields are also able to support visiting PLAAF and Army Aviation aircraft and helicopters for short periods of time as they transit within and between military regions.
