Exercises

Images of a Day-and-Night Flight Training Exercise by an Air Force Aviation Unit

空军航空兵某部跨昼夜飞行训练影像

PLA Daily (解放军报) 31 May 2026

Summary

An Air Force aviation unit conducted a day-and-night flight training exercise at an unidentified North China airfield this summer, running simultaneous low-altitude ground-attack profiles and Red-versus-Blue aerial combat that included beyond-visual-range maneuvering, close-in dogfighting, and tactical feints (战术佯动) across a multi-wave sortie cycle. The exercise documents combined offensive and defensive air combat training at a level of tactical detail — lock-on sequencing, high-G defensive breaks, position shifts into counterattack — that fits the PLA Air Force's sustained push to build what it frames as 空天战场 (aerospace battlefield) proficiency. Unit designation, aircraft type, and exact location are withheld, limiting what can be inferred about readiness or order of battle beyond the training pattern itself.

Translation

War Eagles Beat Their Wings Toward the Sky and Clouds

— Images of a Day-and-Night Flight Training Exercise by an Air Force Aviation Unit

■ Wang Zeyu, Li Liang; PLA Daily correspondent Fan Xianhai, photo report

Combat aircraft roar into the sky.

Ground crew personnel carefully inspect and maintain the aircraft.

Returning from training, pilots exchange impressions with one another.

A pilot boards his aircraft.

Aircraft taxi out in succession, preparing to take off for training.

Summer. An airfield somewhere in North China. Several combat aircraft of an Air Force aviation unit are arrayed in formation, poised and ready. The order to take off is issued; the aircraft roar into the sky, rapidly complete their airborne tactical formation, and immediately fly to the designated training airspace.

Above a certain range, simulated ground-attack training commences. Pilots fly their aircraft in low-altitude penetration, precisely seizing the time window and quickly occupying the optimal attack position. Pull up, dive, aim, lock on… Attack complete, the aircraft instantly vanish into the clouds.

At the same time, hundreds of kilometers away, aerial combat in the designated airspace is in full swing. The Red Force formation closes on the enemy covertly, achieves lock-on first, and launches its "attack." Blue Force pilots remain composed under pressure, decisively execute a high-G defensive break, and after completing their tactical evasion, rapidly shift position to form a counterattack posture… From coordinated offense and defense to tactical feints (战术佯动), from beyond-visual-range tactical maneuvering to close-in aerial dogfighting, both sides trade blow for blow, matching wits and courage, effectively tempering their tactical proficiency and emergency response capabilities.

Several hours later, aircraft that have completed one wave of training missions return to base one after another. The aircraft glide smoothly into their hangars; ground crew personnel quickly step forward to inspect and maintain them, efficiently completing preparations for the next sortie.

At dusk, the roar of engines sounds again. The aircraft slowly taxi out; inside the cockpits, the pilots and the support personnel standing alongside the runway exchange salutes. This is a tacit exchange between those at different posts — and a silent oath sworn on the way to the aerospace battlefield (空天战场)…

Original Chinese

战鹰振翅向云天 ——空军航空兵某部跨昼夜飞行训练影像 ■王泽宇李亮解放军报记者范显海摄影报道战机呼啸升空。机务人员精心检查维护战机。训练归来，飞行员相互交流体会。飞行员登机。战机接续滑出，准备起飞训练。夏日，华北某机场。空军航空兵某部数架战机整齐列阵、蓄势待发。起飞指令下达，战机呼啸升空，迅速完成空中战术编组，随即飞赴训练空域。某靶场上空，对地模拟攻击训练打响。飞行员驾机实施低空突防，精准把握时间窗口，快速占据最佳攻击阵位。跃升、俯冲、瞄准、锁定……攻击完毕，战机旋即隐入云天。与此同时，数百公里外的空战对抗空域激战正酣。红方编队隐蔽接敌，率先完成锁定并发起“攻击”。蓝方飞行员临危不乱，果断实施大过载防御急转，完成战术规避后快速变换阵位，形成反击态势……从协同攻防到战术佯动，从超视距战术博弈到近距空中缠斗，双方你来我往、斗智斗勇，有效淬炼了战术素养与应急处置能力。数小时后，完成一个波次训练任务的战机陆续返航。战机平稳滑入停机棚，机务人员快速上前检查维护，高效做好再次出动准备。傍晚时分，引擎轰鸣声再次响起。战机缓缓滑出，座舱内的飞行员与跑道旁站立的保障人员相互敬礼致意。这是不同战位之间的默契交流，更是奔赴空天战场的无声誓言……