JINAN, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's first group of female shipborne aircraft pilot trainees have completed their training and passed graduation assessments before being assigned to frontline naval units, marking a breakthrough in the development of naval aviation personnel, the Naval Aviation University (NAU) said Saturday.
After joining frontline units, they will deploy aboard aircraft carriers and other large and medium-sized surface vessels to undertake various missions, according to the university.
The trainees, all born in the 2000s, were recruited in 2023 and among the Chinese Navy's first female pilot recruits. All held bachelor's degrees from civilian or military universities before enrolling at NAU.
After multiple rounds of rigorous selection and systematic training, they completed all flight exercises required by the training syllabus and passed their final assessments, the NAU said.
In recent years, as China's naval aviation has expanded from land-based to vessel-based operations, the Navy has refined its recruitment, selection and training of shipborne aircraft pilots. NAU has moved some advanced flight exercises previously conducted only in operational units into the university training phase, shortening the time needed to develop combat-ready pilots and accelerating the development of operational capabilities.
The newly graduated pilots have completed more than 100 vessel-based takeoff and landing exercises and are qualified for a range of operations, including day and night landings on vessels, takeoffs and landings in restricted areas, and search-and-rescue missions.
China operates three aircraft carriers: the Liaoning, a refitted Soviet-era vessel commissioned in 2012; the Shandong, the country's first domestically built carrier, commissioned in 2019; and the Fujian, equipped with electromagnetic catapults and commissioned in November 2025.
The Chinese Air Force began recruiting female pilots in 1951, while the country's first group of female fighter pilots graduated in 2009. ■
