PLAN Naval Aviation Training Facility

Deino said:

Maybe related best to this tread:

Construction is under way on a naval training base set to sprawl across more than 160 hectares on the mainland's second-biggest island, according to state media, prompting speculation that the site at the mouth of the Yangtze River could become a training base for aircraft carriers.

Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said Chongming would probably serve as a naval air force training base and may well be a supply base for warships.

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This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition ...

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Hmm...probably not for naval aviation as in take off and landings of aircraft, but for other crew activites.

More and more evidence that the Chinese aircraft carrier program is not slowing down.

They are methodically putting in place all of the pieces for a long term, and relatively large aircraft carrier program.

Deino said:

Maybe related best to this tread:

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This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition ...

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Even if the base will be used to support training for aircraft carrier crew this will not include launching and recovering carrier aircraft. You don't do that in the busy Shanghai area and there is already a training base for this activity.

It takes a very long time to train pilots. I suppose the PLAN-AF realises the importance of training for Air Defence over China's territory and Chinese claimed territorial waters, especially when the latter will continue to draw surveillance by foreign aircraft of interested and aggrieved nations. However, it takes many years to have "Top Guns (TGs)", & also much better when these "TGs" have actual combats experience. PLA-AF has still a long way to go.

advill said:

However, it takes many years to have "Top Guns (TGs)", & also much better when these "TGs" have actual combats experience. PLA-AF has still a long way to go.

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But they are still way ahead of any other Asian nations as regarding to fixed wing carrier platform fighter planes development. Like I said in almost anything...it's all about the program.

advill said:

It takes a very long time to train pilots. I suppose the PLAN-AF realises the importance of training for Air Defence over China's territory and Chinese claimed territorial waters, especially when the latter will continue to draw surveillance by foreign aircraft of interested and aggrieved nations. However, it takes many years to have "Top Guns (TGs)", & also much better when these "TGs" have actual combats experience. PLA-AF has still a long way to go.

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Not really, the pilots are not the hold up in this situation, they came up to speed very quickly, but even though each of them have managed the qual process with 0 know incidents, they are likely having a very tough time accumulating hours operating off the carrier.

Sorry for my disagreements Equation & Air Force Brat: (1) The ASEAN pilots (Indonesia, Malaysia & Singapore in particular) are very well trained, and some are rated as "Top Guns" by the USAF. (2) It is never only the "machines" (aircraft), importantly are the well trained and experienced pilots (men & women) that mann them.

New construction activities noted at Huangdicun ... maybe for a catapult-launch site ?

Deino said:

New construction activities noted at Huangdicun ... maybe for a catapult-launch site ?

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Very interesting, my friend.

The areas behind the tracks could in fact be excavations to house catapult machinery.

This is yet another place we should carefully watch to see what the PL:AN is doing. If they put in place a catapult capability at their training facility it can only mean that they have probably been testing it elsewhere.

It would become an operation there at Huangdicun similar to Lakehurst, NJ, in the states.

It would certainly mean that the PLANB will have a CATOBAR carrier in the works. Perhaps after whatever is currently being constructed.

I will also copy these two posts to the PLAN Carrier Thread since it has a direct bearing.

another place:
could someone identify this place? The text to this place is:

“...(Satellite image of the ... flight deck attached to the end of a runway in northern China. The angled flight deck centerline is aligned with the main runway and aircraft were catapulted out over the salt pan and bay)...”

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Sczepan said:

another place:
could someone identify this place? The text to this place is:

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Is the image real? It makes no sense to place the carrier runway at the end of a mainland-runway.