Day and Night "Shark Hunting" Between Sea and Sky — A Direct Look at Long-Endurance Anti-Submarine Search-and-Attack Training
A Naval Aviation Regiment Organizes Long-Endurance Anti-Submarine Search-and-Attack Training —
Day and Night "Shark Hunting" Between Sea and Sky
■ Qin Qianjiang
The sun sets in the west, dusk vast and dim. A maritime patrol aircraft of a Naval Aviation regiment rapidly flies toward the airspace above a certain sea area. Inside the cabin, Pilot Zhao is fully focused, eyes fixed on the data displayed across the instrument panel.
This is his second time taking off during this training exercise. According to the plan, he and his crew will conduct a long-endurance anti-submarine search-and-attack training mission.
Upon reaching the airspace above the target sea area, the maritime patrol aircraft completed a mission handoff with the previous crew. The crew then assessed the maritime situation, deployed sonobuoys over the suspected area, and established a listening route. Amid rising winds and swelling waves, Pilot Zhao maintained full manual control throughout, exerting every effort to search for traces of the "enemy" submarine.
"Suspicious contact detected!" Suddenly, the sonar operator made a discovery. Pilot Zhao rapidly adjusted the aircraft's altitude, preparing to track and fix the position of the suspected target. However, the "enemy" proved far more cunning than anticipated, and the target quickly disappeared. Time ticked away second by second; according to the original plan, the crew's remaining time on station was running short.
The crew calmly analyzed the situation and rapidly deployed additional sonobuoys to intercept. Faced with a dense cluster of suspected targets on the screen, the crew made comprehensive use of multiple submarine-search systems and, through comparison of information and data, finally reacquired the "enemy" submarine's signal.
"3, 2, 1 — attack!" At the command, the crew rapidly maneuvered into a favorable attack position, executed a simulated attack on the target, and then withdrew from the operational area. The "shark hunting" mission was successfully completed.
The regiment's leadership introduced that this long-endurance anti-submarine search-and-attack training was not only a test of the aircraft's long-range endurance, crew coordination, and emergency response capabilities, but also a tempering of pilots' technical and tactical proficiency, combat will, and team combat competence.
"Left engine shutdown!" In the early hours of the following day, as a new group of training aircraft returned to base, the crew of Pilot Chen suddenly received an in-flight emergency. He immediately assessed the situation and calmly issued the order: "Maintain status, check associated systems."
A single-engine shutdown emergency could at any moment send the aircraft into an uncontrollable state. Over the sea and sky, Pilot Chen and the co-pilot worked in seamless coordination — simultaneously maintaining the aircraft's balanced attitude and replanning the route to land at the nearest available airfield. In the end, the crew successfully handled the emergency through precise operation and brought the aircraft to a smooth landing.
"Solid preparation on the ground means stable flight in the air." The regiment's leadership introduced that, given the high sortie tempo and intensity of this training exercise, they had specifically organized a safety risk assessment before training commenced, and had scientifically formulated communications support plans and emergency response measures. Mission crews conducted in-depth study of relevant emergency scenarios and reinforced ground-based emergency procedure simulation training. Maintenance personnel (机务官兵) focused their inspection and maintenance efforts on key components including the engine system and flight control system, ensuring the mission would be carried out without any mishap.
After stepping off the aircraft, Pilot Chen told this reporter that the training incorporated multiple operational modes including on-call anti-submarine operations (应召反潜) and patrol anti-submarine operations (巡逻反潜), effectively validating the unit's equipment performance and anti-submarine tactics and methods, and that anti-submarine combat capability had been effectively tempered.