China's air force to debut 2 new aerial teams

China's air force will introduce two new aerobatic teams this week in a sign of the military's growing public profile and sophistication

China's air force will debut two new aerial demonstration teams this week as part of its growing sophistication and increasingly prominent public role, the Defense Ministry announced Tuesday. The Sky Wing and Red Falcon teams will take part Thursday in a joint performance in the northeastern city of Changchun, along with the air force's 50-year-old Bayi squadron of senior pilots, the ministry said in a notice posted on its official website.

Zhao Jingbo, deputy director of the air force's training department, was quoted as saying the teams will promote international exchanges and education, along with awareness of China's aerospace interests and flight safety.

"The three teams can exchange experience and rise together," Zhao said.

The two new teams are attached to air force flight schools and have a total of 34 pilots. They will perform using China's domestically developed Jiao-8 and Chujiao-6 trainers, the ministry said.

The teams will perform Thursday with the 50-year old August First Air Demonstration Team of the People's Liberation Army Air Force.

The 16-member Sky Wing demonstration team will be attached to the Chinese Air Force Aviation University, the alma mater of Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut.

The 18-member Red Falcon demonstration team will be based at the Third Flying College of the Chinese Air Force, which trained Zhai Zhigang, China's first space walker.

Buoyed by annual double-digit percentage increases in the national defense budget, China's air force has undergone a major upgrade in recent years, rolling out new planes such as the J-10 fighter and starting flight tests on a future stealth aircraft.

The air force also took the unprecedented step of dispatching a pair of transport planes to Libya this year to aid in the evacuation of about 35,000 Chinese workers trapped by fighting.

Source: BEIJING- The Associated Press. / VOANews

Photo: An Su-27 fighter releases flares as it demonstrates its capabilities during a visit by U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Division 19 Aviation PLA Air Force base in Jining at the Jinan military area in China, Tuesday, July 12, 2011. The top U.S. military officer is on a visit to China, the first of its kind in four years as the two governments are trying to improve military-to-military ties after setbacks over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, cyberattacks traced to China and concern about Beijing's military plans. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)


(31.08.2011)