China's army is ramping up its combat readiness
Reuters/Damir SagoljSoldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) march during the military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in Beijing, China, Sept. 3, 2015.
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The crash of a fighter jet in eastern China on Wednesday will almost certainly be followed by similar accidents as the People’s Liberation Army ramps up training to improve combat readiness, military analysts said.
Liang Yang, a spokesman for the PLA Navy, confirmed late on Wednesday that a fighter jet from the East Sea Fleet crashed into a sewing machine factory during a night training mission at about 7.30pm in Taizhou in Zhejiang province.
The pilot ejected safely from the aircraft and nobody was injured in the incident, Liang said. The navy said it was investigating the cause of the crash but did not specify the make of the aircraft.
Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie saidnight flights were difficult and bad weather could have been a factor in the crash.
“More aviation drills have taken place in the East China Sea, with trainingfocusing on all-weather flights close to combat conditions,” Li said.
Wednesday’s crash is at least the fourth fighter jet accident in Zhejiang in three years, all of which involved night manoeuvres.
The military had conducted more all-weather flights since Beijing set up its first air defence identification zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea in November, 2013, Li said.
Reuters/Athit PerawongmethaChina's J-10 fighter jets from the People's Liberation Army Air Force August 1st Aerobatics Team perform during a media demonstration at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Nov. 24, 2015.
The new ADIZ covers the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, which Japan calls the Senkakus. Both countries claim the uninhabited outcrops but Tokyo controls them. More than half of the Chinese ADIZ overlaps Japan’s own air defence zone.
“Zhejiang is on the front line of the East China Sea ADIZ, and more fighter jets are needed to scramble to expel unidentified foreign aircraft. That’s why so many accidents have happened there,” Li said.
Macau-based military observer Antony Wong Dong said the drills in the East China Sea were related to Taiwan president-elect Tsai Ing-wen’s inauguration next Friday, which could explain why the navy did not specify the jet’s make.
“Another key political task of the East Sea Fleet is taking care of security in the Taiwan Strait. The recent crash might be embarrassing for Beijing so that’s why the navy hasn’t announced the model of the aircraft,” he said.
Wong said it was not surprising to see more PLA jet crashes since President Xi Jinping ordered the military to learn from its Western rivals, mainly the US.
“Fighter crashes are very common in the US military even though it has the world’s most capable military pilots,” he said. “More drills will result in more accidents, which will allow pilots to learn practical lessons.
Reuters/Petar KujundzicA pilot sits in the cockpit of a Jian-10 fighter jet at Yangcun Air Force base on the outskirts of Tianjin municipality April 13, 2010 during a media trip to the 24th Air Force Division of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
“In recent years, PLA pilots have become more capable, with some crashes showing they have done well in reducing casualties.”
In the two crashes over the past six months in Taizhou, pilots were able to parachute to safety, and no one on the ground was injured.
Li said that all pilots had been trained to bring their planes down in sparsely populated areas in the event of a malfunction.
He said pilots flying in the South China Sea were now able to land at any time on three new airstrips on man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago.
“But for pilots flying aboce the East China Sea, they have no choice when an aircraft malfunctions. The only way is to return to base or carefully choose a sparsely populated area if a crash landing is required.”
Read the original article on South China Morning Post. Copyright 2016. Follow South China Morning Post on Twitter.
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