August 1st Aerobatics Team
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Horrific crash kills Yu Xu, 1st woman to fly China's J-10 fighter
By Brad Lendon One of China's first female fighter pilots and a member of the country's air force aerobatics team was killed in a training accident over the weekend, according to Chinese state-run media. Capt. Yu Xu, 30, died Saturday during a routine training flight with the aerobatics team, according to the reports. The Chinese military did not provide details of the accident in Hebei province, but state-run media, citing military sources and witnesses, said Yu ejected from her aircraft after it collided with another during the training. After the ejection, the wing of another plane hit Yu, killing her, according to a report from China Daily. Yu's male co-pilot ejected safely and survived, the report said. The other jet also landed safety. The flight data recorder, or black box, from Yu's jet was recovered as authorities investigate the accident, China Daily reported. Yu: 'I have become a real fighter pilot' Yu was the first of four women who are certified to fly the J-10, a single-engine multi-role jet that entered service in 2004 and is considered the first Chinese domestic fighter to rival Western fighters in its capabilities. Yu flew a J-10 fighter with China's August 1st Aerobatics Team. Her last performance was at Airshow China in Zhuhai earlier this month. J-10 fighters from China's August 1st aerobatics team perform at Airshow China in Zhuhai on November 4, 2016. The show was Capt. Yu Xu's last public performance. "I think the acrobatics are quite difficult, with high requirements and standards made in all aspects. Our condition is quite satisfactory, but we need more trainings if we want to be better," Yu said of her performances in an interview with China's CCTV. Yu, 30, joined the People's Liberation Army Air Force in September 2005. She qualified as a fighter pilot in 2009 and qualified to fly the J-10 in 2012, when she soloed in the fighter. A Chinese Air Force J-10 fighter on display an Airshow China in Zhuhai November 2016. "I'm quite happy with myself, because this solo flight means that I have become a real fighter pilot," she told CCTV. Wan Ying, a friend of Yu's, told CNN that Yu was "a very positive, humble and nice person who loved taking care of friends." She was also an avid reader, Wan said. Wan said she and Yu had talked only two days before the deadly crash about meeting up for dinner. Yu saluted as a hero Yu's death Saturday saw many in China questioning in online forums whether women should be fighter pilots and if they were getting the right training. "I only want to know the cause of the incident. What should be to blame for, problems with the plane or lack of training?" one poster wrote on the Chinese social website Weibo. But state-run Global Times quoted a Chinese aviation expert, Wang Ya'nan, as saying Yu and other women in the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force were trail blazers. "China is a pioneer in training female aerobatic pilots. When the program started, there was no foreign experience to borrow from or statistics to rely on from other countries. From this perspective, Yu Xu and other female aerobatic pilots have taken greater risks, which deserve more of our respect," Wang was quoted as saying. On Weibo, Yu was saluted as a hero. "Yu Xu is our most proud female pilot. Her death is a great loss for our country," wrote one poster. "Yu is the Hua Mulan (legendary woman warrior) of our era, a rare heroine," wrote another. The website for the All-China Women's Federation reported Monday that 60 million users of the Weibo site had clicked on Yu's story by Sunday night.
Air show guests impressed by China’s new-generation stealth fighters, but left wanting more Brief fly-past and poor visibility hamper observation from the ground
A two-minute demonstration by two of China’s new generation of J-20 stealth fighter jets and an aerobatics display by Britain’s Red Arrows impressed guests at Tuesday’s start to Airshow China in coastal Zhuhai, Guangdong province. But delegates and military observers were disappointed by poor visibility and the too-brief fly-past of the J-20s. “Two minutes is too short, but I understand the J-20 should remain a mystery because it’s not ready for mass production for service in our air force,” a delegate from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force said. Macau-based military observer Antony Wong Dong said he had expected the J-20s to open their weapon bays during their first public flight demonstration, which was watched by Central Military Commission vice-chairman General Fan Changlong and air force chief General Ma Xiaotian. Also watching on were former CMC member Chen Bingde and other central and provincial governmental leaders. “I am very disappointed because the J-20s opened their weapon bays during a rehearsal a few days ago, but didn’t do so in their first public appearance,” said Wong, who watched Zhuhai TV’s live coverage. Aircraft analysts have said there are signs with the J-20 that China may be making better-than-expected progress in developing a rival to Lockheed Martin’s radar-evading F-22 Raptor. But Andrei Chang, founder of Canada-based Kanwa Defence Review, said the conservative demonstration by the J-20 might indicate the aircraft was unable to compete with the F-22. In 2014, China’s newest version of the J-31 debuted in a fly-past at the opening of Airshow China, in a show of muscle that coincided with a visit to Beijing by US President Barack Obama for an Asia-Pacific summit. On land on Tuesday, many media representatives were unable to cover the debut demonstration of the Chinese VT-4 and VN-12 main battle tanks, with only Zhuhai TV, some state media outlets and VIPs allowed on the demonstration site. “Watching live TV is a good choice, which showed the main battle tanks’ demonstration was better than the display of the J-10, J-20 and even the debut flight of the Y-20 military transport aircraft,” Wong said. “Cloudy and polluted skies affected a fantastic demonstration by the Red Arrows this year also, with the British aircraft sometimes covered by clouds even when executing low attitude manoeuvres,” he said. Liu Shiying, a retired professor of engineering from Wuhan University in Hubei province, said a performance by the PLA Air Force’s “August 1st” aerobatics team was inferior to that of the Red Arrows. “The Red Arrows sent nine Hawk jets to fly together and perform superior difficult tricks like crossing and face-to-face close flying, while the August 1st team only has seven aircraft. A nine-aircraft team demonstration is much more difficult and risky than a seven fighter jet team,” Liu said. “For example, the British team are able to fly crossovers involving two pair of aircraft, but the August 1st team only flew a two single jet crossover.” Nine aircraft belonging to the Russian Knight and Swifts aerobatic teams also made their first joint performance in Zhuhai, and the Pakistan air force sent its JL-17, which was jointly developed with China, to take part in the show. “The tank demonstration was a little Russian-style, but the Chinese tank drivers are too careful, and not as fierce and tough as their Russian counterparts,” Wong said. As this year is both the 20th anniversary of Airshow China and the 60th anniversary of China’s space flight industry, astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Chong sent a congratulatory video message from the Tiangong-2 space laboratory about 400km above the earth. The six-day show will fully open to the public on Friday, and wrap up on Sunday.
China air force slips past PH, Taiwan for drills in 'far offshore' Pacific Several aircraft from China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), on March 30, flew over the ocean via the Bashi Channel, which runs between Taiwan and the Philippines, Xinhua reports
BEIJING, China – China's air force has carried out its first ever military drill over the western Pacific Ocean, state media said, highlighting Beijing's growing military reach. Several aircraft from China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday, March 30, flew over the ocean via the Bashi Channel, which runs between Taiwan and the Philippines, the official Xinhua news agency said. "This is the first time that the PLA Air Force conducted such drills in an airspace far offshore from Chinese coastlines," Xinhua cited army spokesman Shen Jinke as saying. The drill aimed to "level up the PLA Air Force's mobility and combativeness" over the "high seas", Xinhua reported. Territorial tensions have increased in recent years between Beijing and its neighbors around the South China Sea – which it claims almost in its entirety. Beijing has also been building up its military reach in recent years, with its first aircraft carrier going into service in 2012. China announced an 'Air Defense Identification Zone' (ADIZ) over the East China Sea in 2013, sparking condemnation from Japan and the United States. Japanese media have reported that China is considering a similar zone over the South China Sea, which would be likely to further fan tensions in the region. China has increased its military budget by double digit amounts for several decades, but says the spending is purely defensive and not aimed at other countries. Several southeast Asian nations as well as Japan have boosted their defense budgets and ties with the US, in moves widely seen as reflecting fears about China. The Bashi channel is a waterway between the Philippines' northernmost province of Batanes and Taiwan's Orchid island. Its ownership is disputed. "The drill is not targeted at any certain country or targets and carries no threat against other countries and regions," Xinhua cited Shen as saying.
Knowledge Graph
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1 China’s August 1st Aerobatics Team performs at the 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, on November 13.
2 J-10 fighters from China's August 1st aerobatics team performed at “Airshow China” in Zhuhai on November 4, 2016.
3 Tao Jiali, a member of The August 1st Aerobatics Team flying J-10 figher, is a post-80s female pilot from southwest China's Sichuan province.