An undisclosed base affiliated with the Chinese People's Liberation Army Naval Aviation University uses a land-based aircraft to explore training methods for carrier-based special mission aircraft in early 2025. Photo: Screenshot from China Central Television

Using land-based aircraft,MK sports the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has begun testing training strategies for carrier-based special mission aircraft in preparation for its deployment on the Fujian, China's first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults, official media reported on Wednesday.

The special mission aircraft teaching team of an undisclosed base affiliated with the PLA Naval Aviation University has been utilizing Y-7 land-based transport aircraft to simulate carrier-based training procedures in preparation for the future induction of the carrier-based special mission aircraft, according to a video posted by CCTV military channel on its Weibo account. 

"We are now fully adept at maintaining precise flight direction, optimal posture, and pinpoint landing accuracy," Lin Chunliang of the PLA Naval Aviation University said in the video.

Noting that the aircraft carrier Fujianis expected to be commissioned soon, Lin emphasized the team's commitment to training elite pilots for carrier-based fixed-wing special mission aircraft. 

The team has visited the designing institute to learn about the upcoming carrier-based special mission aircraft, to verify the training methods by applying technical assessments and spectral data analysis, CCTV reported.

Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times that special mission aircraft, often developed based on transport aircraft, typically include early warning aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft specialized in anti-submarine warfare, electronic warfare aircraft and tanker aircraft.

China has not yet officially confirmed which type of special mission aircraft will be deployed on the aircraft carrier Fujian. The known aircraft compatible with the Fujianinclude the J-15 and the J-35 fighter jets, as showcased at Airshow China 2024 in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province. However, the insignia of the aircraft carrier Fujian, featured in a CCTV report in early January this year, illustrated what seems to be an early warning aircraft flying alongside a J-35 fighter jet over the aircraft carrier.
 
Fu noted that there have been media reports indicating the development of a carrier-based early warning aircraft allegedly called the KJ-600. In addition, there could also be other types of carrier-based special mission aircraft such as carrier-based anti-submarine patrol aircraft, or simply a type of carrier-based transport aircraft.

The PLA Naval Aviation University's simulation training using the Y-7 transport aircraft will enable pilots to transition more smoothly to the upcoming carrier-based aircraft, as the two aircraft types share key design characteristics, including high engine thrust and lightweight airframe construction, Fu said. They also likely have similar size and weight, he said.