China trains female pilots for J-10 fighter jet
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E-mail China.org.cn, August 16, 2012
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Chinese female pilots of the J-10 fighter ject. [Photo/Xinhua] |
China has begun to train female pilots for the country's most advanced fighter jet, PLA Daily reported.
Five female pilots completed solo flights and missions navigating the J-10 on July 29 and 30 in an airfield in North China.
J-10, known as the "Vigorous Dragon" in the West, is a multirole combat aircraft capable of air-to-air combat and ground-attack missions.
The five women were among China's first group of 16 female pilots. They have served in the air force's combat troops after graduating from domestic flying colleges in 2009.
China has trained nearly 500 female pilots since women were first permitted to enroll in flight schools in 1951. Those female pilots have completed various missions, ranging from flying transport planes, conducting air detection to fighting in military exercise or providing rescue and relief work in emergencies.
In 2005, China's air force began to recruit female combat pilots, following the global trend to enable women to enter military service in the air.
In addition to China, 15 other countries have female fighter pilots, including the United States, Britain, Germany, Spain, Israel and Pakistan.
China will further train female pilots in flying more types of planes including bombers, early-warning aircraft and tanker aircraft, the paper said.
Liu Yang, China's first woman in space, also served as a female pilot in the air force before she was selected as an astronaut.
