China Is Officially Sick and Tired of Fighter Jocks Wanting Their Hands Held

China Is Officially Sick and Tired of Fighter Jocks Wanting Their Hands Held

Beijing pushes for more realism in pilot training

by ROBERT BECKHUSEN

China has the third largest air force in the world and may surpass the United States within the next 15 years. But in an aerial shooting war with the U.S. Air Force, Beijing will need more than aircraft — but fighter pilots with well-honed skills capable of facing off with some of the best jocks in the world.

But right now, Chinese pilots struggle. Underdeveloped tactics and training regimens which discourage initiative — among other problems — means that, as a whole, China’s top guns are less proficient than they could be.

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force is also well aware of this, and is changing the way it trains pilots, according to a recent report by the RAND Corporation, a think tank with close ties to the U.S. Air Force. These changes, over time, could do much to reduce the skill gap between the Chinese and American air forces.

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