China’s navy looks to junior high schools to find pilots for its aircraft carriers
- About 4,500 boys aged 15 to 16 have been recruited for the PLA Navy’s youth aviation schools this month
- Those who qualify will join the fighter jet cadet programme, with the top students enrolling in a double degree at one of three Beijing universities
The students – boys aged 15 to 16 – will attend the PLA Navy’s youth aviation schools which were set up in 2015 in cooperation with some of the best high schools in the country. The navy draws on talent from the 14 schools for its aircraft carrier cadet pilot programme.
They will undergo three years of training in the aviation schools and those who qualify will go on to the PLA Naval Aviation University for pilot training. The top students will undertake double degrees within the aviation programmes at one of three prestigious Beijing universities – Peking, Tsinghua and Beihang, according to Xinhua.
It is unclear if this is the first year that students so young will attend the aviation schools. An earlier report from state broadcaster CCTV said the navy had been selecting high school graduates aged between 16 and 19 for the schools since 2020. The average age of the newest crop of cadet pilots is 20, much younger than in previous years.
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Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said the approach aimed to find promising students with strong academic and physical abilities as the navy tries to meet the demands of its aircraft carrier projects.
