Since more pilots are required to operate fighter jets on its expanding fleet of aircraft carriers, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is seeking to hire its first female pilots. In February 2023, a flyer for pilot cadets in China stated that both young men and women were encouraged to apply. Normal pilot recruiting targets students attending military colleges, but the revised guidelines said that all students from “local ordinary colleges and universities” are eligible to apply.
The rapid growth of PLAN’s aircraft carrier industry, according to Global Times, is the cause of the increased hiring. The PLAN currently has two combat-ready aircraft carriers, named Liaoning and Shandong, with the third, Fujian, being fitted out. “Carrier-based aircraft pilots are at the core of the combat capabilities of aircraft carriers, and the accelerated transformation of the PLA Navy means that the demand for carrier-based carrier pilots is increasingly urgent,” one Chinese navy officer reportedly told Global Times.
China possesses roughly 100 aircraft carrier jets and requires about 200 pilots, according to the publication. Students that meet the requirements for recruiting must be single, between the ages of 18 and 24, and between 165 and 185 centimeters tall. No one who is color blind or has tattoos will be permitted onto the traineeship, and female applicants must weigh more than 48 kg. Characteristically, every recruit needs to be fearless, eager to soar, and committed to join.