Chinese Navy conducts helicopter landing drills in the Yellow Sea

Asia-Pacific, News July 5, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Chinese Navy conducted military drills in the Yellow Sea to improve the helicopter landing and take-off on ships in different environments.

The drill was aimed to train the pilots of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to improve their coordination in landing and take-off in a confined space and limited time. The drill consisted of daytime and nighttime operations to help the pilots correctly assess the height, speed, direction, and distance of the carrier ships.

The pilots took part in the drills by landing and taking off aircraft from the Chinese navy’s frigates and destroyers. The drills included briefings for the pilots about the routes and directions of the ships in order to enhance coordination in navigation with the ship’s crew. The exercise was also aimed at improving the interoperability between the pilots and the ship’s control tower.

The pilots emphasized more on nighttime operations as it requires more attention to small details such as depth perception and speed assessment due to the lack of light. During the drills, pilots completed more than 300 landings and take-offs.

*^{Chinese Navy helicopter landing on the ship during military drills in the Yellow Sea. (Image Credit: CGTN/videograb by IRIA)}*

In recent times China has been focusing on improving its aircraft carriers and sea-based aerial operations as a part of its efforts to modernize the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). In June 2022, China launched its third and most advanced aircraft carrier ship, named Fujian, which is China’s first domestically designed and built aircraft carrier ship.

China has also increased the number of its annual naval exercises and military drills as well as the frequency of aerial patrols, especially in the eastern waters. In the last few months, the Chinese military has conducted special military drills in the Yellow Sea as well as Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. China’s increasing military activities in the Indo-Pacific region have managed to catch the attention of its neighbors and the U.S.

The U.S. has been agitated due to an evident increase in China’s naval strength, military modernization, and more prominently its increasing military ties with Russia.

China has also increased its military activities around the strait of Taiwan, mainly focusing on carrying out aerial patrols and often entering Taiwan’s airspace with large sorties of its military aircraft. In response, U.S. President Joe Biden said that his country would intervene militarily if China ever attempts to engage in a military conflict with Taiwan. Biden’s statement came in May 2022, during his maiden trip to Asia as the President of the United States. His statement did not sit well with the Chinese leadership as a swift response was given by the Chinese Foreign Ministry warning the U.S. of an ‘unbearable price’ if it continues to intervene between China and Taiwan.