Exercises Modernization

A Brigade of the 75th Group Army Organizes Multi-Subject Day-Night Flight Training — A Firsthand Account

第75集团军某旅组织多课目跨昼夜飞行训练见闻

PLA Daily (解放军报) 8 August 2026

Summary

A brigade of the 75th Group Army conducted multi-subject day-night flight training at an unspecified southwest China airfield this summer, with dozens of fixed-wing aircraft and transport helicopters executing aerial interception, close-in dogfighting, low-altitude penetration (低空突防), three-dimensional assault (立体突击), and fast-rope assault operations across continuous day and night cycles. The article documents the brigade's stated emphasis on all-weather, tactically integrated training rather than subject-by-subject drills, with lead-wingman coordination and chaff-and-flare employment included as discrete evaluated tasks. This is standard aviation readiness reporting; its value is as a baseline record of how the 75th Group Army aviation brigade frames combat-realistic training norms for its pilots, not as evidence of a changed operational posture.

Translation

Tempering Iron Wings Beneath the Stars and Moon

— A Firsthand Account of a Brigade of the 75th Group Army Organizing Multi-Subject Day-Night Flight Training

■ Li Zenan, PLA Daily Special Correspondent Sun Changyi

On a summer morning, at an airfield in the southwest, warplanes stood arrayed in formation, engines roaring.

"Take off!" At the command of the tower controller, dozens of warplanes lifted off in succession, as a brigade of the 75th Group Army launched a multi-subject day-night flight training exercise. Upon reaching the assigned airspace, the aircraft alternately climbed and banked sharply, carrying out tactical maneuver training in turn.

"Three o'clock, target spotted!" Receiving the report, pilot Meng swiftly kicked the rudder, pulled the stick, and banked, maneuvering his aircraft forward to engage the "enemy."

Aerial interception, close-in dogfighting… After several rounds of engagement, pilot Meng seized the right moment, decisively locked onto the target, and destroyed the "enemy" in a single strike.

"How battles are fought is how troops must train." The on-site commander told reporters that this training focused on intensive and specialized drilling in subjects including three-dimensional assault (立体突击), special-situation handling (特情处置), and low-altitude penetration (低空突防), with a tactical background woven throughout the entire training process, forcing pilots to develop adaptability, coordination, and tactical skills through realistic combat-like resistance. During the training preparation phase, they also assessed potential safety risks that could arise during training and formulated targeted emergency response plans in advance to ensure safe implementation of the training.

In the air, a sudden warning sounded in the cockpit of a wingman aircraft in one formation: it was being locked on by "enemy" radar. Pilot Dong gripped the control stick and maneuvered the aircraft nimbly, successfully breaking free from the dangerous situation by continuously releasing chaff and flares. At the same time, the lead aircraft pilot successfully locked onto the "enemy" target's bearing and shared the "enemy" aircraft's information with pilot Dong's aircraft. Identification, lock-on, tracking… The lead and wingman aircraft worked in close coordination, and several rockets screamed out, striking the "enemy" target with precision.

In another airspace, several transport helicopters carried assault team members flying from different directions toward mission positions in preparation for low-altitude penetration operations. Once the aircraft stabilized in a hover, the assault team members fast-roped down rapidly and deployed into combat formation, advancing from multiple directions to execute a tactical encirclement of "enemy" ground targets…

As the moon rose above the treetops, navigation lights blinked, and one by one the warplanes completed replenishment and maintenance before lifting off again into night training. In the night sky, pilots could only rely on scattered lights on the ground and onboard instrument equipment to judge aircraft position and flight attitude, causing training difficulty to increase sharply. Nevertheless, the participating pilots, drawing on their solid technical skills and psychological fortitude, successfully completed training subjects including field site takeoffs and landings and simulated special-situation handling.

"Flying under conditions of darkness is an extreme test of a pilot's sense of direction, speed, and altitude, as well as psychological quality," the brigade leadership explained. In recent years, they have focused on battlefield requirements, organizing day-night flight training under a variety of meteorological conditions, continuously innovating training methods and means of tactical application, and ensuring the unit's all-weather combat readiness level steadily improves.

On the runway, accompanied by the roar of engines, another group of pilots took to the skies, launching a new round of aerial assault…

Original Chinese

披星戴月淬铁翼 ——第75集团军某旅组织多课目跨昼夜飞行训练见闻 ■李泽南解放军报特约记者孙长义夏日清晨，西南某机场战机列阵、引擎轰鸣。 “起飞！”随着塔台指挥员一声令下，数十架战机接续升空，第75集团军某旅一场多课目跨昼夜飞行训练拉开帷幕。抵达任务空域后，一架架战机在空中时而攀升、时而急转，交替展开战术动作训练。 “3点钟方向，发现目标！”接到通报，孟飞行员迅速蹬舵、拉杆、转弯，操纵战机前出接“敌”。空中拦截、近距离格斗……几轮交锋下来，孟飞行员找准时机，果断锁定目标，一举歼“敌”。 “仗怎么打，兵就怎么练。”现场指挥员告诉记者，此次训练，他们围绕立体突击、特情处置、低空突防等课目展开专攻精练，将战术背景贯穿训练全过程，倒逼飞行员在真打实抗中练应变、练协同、练战术。训练筹备阶段，他们还对训练中可能发生的安全风险进行评估，提前制订针对性应急方案，确保训练安全实施。空中，某编队僚机机舱内突然传来告警：正遭“敌”雷达锁定。董飞行员紧握驾驶杆灵活操纵战机，通过连续释放干扰弹等方式，成功摆脱险局。与此同时，长机飞行员顺利锁定“敌”目标方位，将“敌”机信息共享至董飞行员所在战机。识别、锁定、跟踪……长僚机密切配合，数发火箭弹呼啸而出，精准命中“敌”目标。另一空域，数架运输直升机搭载突击队员从不同方向飞赴任务点位，准备进行低空突防。战机稳定悬停后，突击队员快速索降并展开战斗队形，采取多方向突进方式，对“敌”地面目标实施战术合围…… 月上梢头，航灯闪烁，一架架战鹰完成补给维护后，再次升空投入夜间训练。夜空中，飞行员只能依靠地面零星光亮和机上仪表设备判断战机位置与飞行姿态，训练难度骤然增大。但参训飞行员凭借过硬技术和心理素质，出色完成野外场地起降、模拟特情处置等课目训练。 “暗夜条件下飞行，对飞行员的方向感、速度感、高度感以及心理素质都是极大考验。”该旅领导介绍，近年来，他们聚焦战场需求，利用多种气象条件组织跨昼夜飞行训练，不断创新训练方法和战术运用手段，确保部队全天候备战水平稳步提升。跑道上，伴着战机轰鸣声，又一批飞行员驾机升空，展开新一轮空中突击……