74 Years of Fighting and Flying! Salute to the Naval Aviation!

They

are dancers on the tip of a knife

soaring into the sky over the vast ocean

They

are the eagles between sea and sky

sharpening their wings in the storm

They

are dreamers holding starlight

lifting brilliance behind the war eagles

They

are on the front line of the country's maritime territory

building a solid defense line with iron wings

They are

naval aviation troops

The naval aviation force

has been officially established since September 6, 1952

growing from small to large, from weak to strong

from near shore to the ocean

continuously developing and expanding

becoming an important force in safeguarding the country's maritime and aerial sovereignty

The naval aviation troops are stationed at the forefront of the maritime and aerial national gate

guarding national security

defending maritime and aerial sovereignty

"Eagle Chick" test flight

A perfect arc,

marking the era of aircraft carriers for the People's Navy

On September 25, 2012

our first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was commissioned

In the mighty sea breeze,

that long and winding aircraft carrier dream

opened a new magnificent chapter

On November 23 of the same year

aircraft carrier test pilots

successfully achieved

arrested landings and ski-jump takeoffs

in a yellow-painted J-15 carrier-based fighter jet

on the Liaoning, marking

a historic breakthrough for the People's Navy

in deploying carrier-based fighters

In December 2013

the J-15 was officially commissioned

into the Chinese People's Liberation Army Naval Aviation

In 2016

the J-15 carrier-based fighter launched anti-ship missiles for the first time

in December, as part of the Liaoning carrier group

conducting long-range training in the Western Pacific

Chinese carrier-based fighters

flew for the first time in the Western Pacific

On December 17, 2019

the first domestically produced aircraft carrier, the Shandong, was commissioned

In just 5 months after commissioning

it had initially formed combat capability

On November 5, 2025

the first electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier,

the Fujian, was commissioned

Previously, the J-15T, J-35, and KJ-600

three types of carrier-based aircraft

had already boarded the ship and completed catapult takeoff and landing training

On the aircraft carrier

one by one, carrier-based aircraft are taking off with full power

under the wings

these ordinary positions

lift the war eagles to fly higher and farther

Guarding the "War Eagles"

ensuring every flight,

lifting the war eagles safely for takeoff and landing

The steadfastness at the foot of the mountain

supports the charge in the sky

Thunder and bomb soldiers are stationed in the little-known deep mountains

They say

as long as they see the warplanes loaded with thunder and bombs take off safely

they feel that all their efforts are worth it

Thunder and bomb soldiers record measurement data. Photo by Ma Jing

Accompanying the islands, alongside the iron towers

in the invisible electromagnetic space

every signal emitted by the navigation station

is related to the safety of the warplanes

In the small station,

navigators are like lighthouses in the night

guiding the war eagles to soar high and sail far

Work scene of a certain navigation unit's station in the naval aviation troops.

Ground support personnel are an important force in the naval aviation troops

mainly responsible for bird control at the airport, runway maintenance,

navigation lighting support, and emergency rescue, etc.

Under diverse task requirements

they often need to wear multiple hats and be versatile

Bird controllers running to scare away birds. Special correspondent Fu Jinqian photo

Naval personnel at a carrier-based aircraft training base rechecking the runway. Photo by Yu Tao

As flight support personnel

they seem like a pair of "invisible wings"

lifting the war eagles to victory over the sea and sky

with their silent backs and nameless dedication

they have achieved the great reputation of national heavy equipment

Maintenance personnel meticulously checking the aircraft.

On the aircraft carrier,

takeoff and landing support personnel

are deeply engaged in frontline support, innovating and tackling challenges

from day to night, from near sea to far ocean

ensuring the safe takeoff and landing of carrier-based aircraft

constantly refreshing the combat capability indicators of Chinese aircraft carriers

Assistant in the Shandong aircraft carrier takeoff and landing support team launching a carrier-based aircraft (photo taken on February 28, 2025). Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Li Gang)

Maintenance personnel

holding a wrench carefully "diagnosing" the war eagles

no faults overnight, no doubts in the sky

striving for perfection, meticulous

becoming a strong foundation for supporting carrier-based aircraft flight training

"Old pilots" mentoring

sowing the "seeds" of practical combat,

cultivating the "new greens" who can fight and are good at fighting

one hand lifting the war eagles, one hand passing on the torch

the first generation of carrier-based aircraft flight instructors in our country

had no experience to refer to

"If there is no road,

we will carve out our own path for carrier-based aircraft!"

Experience is accumulated in repeated simulated takeoffs and landings

skills are crossed in numerous ship-based landings

As the first batch of carrier-based aircraft pilots trained by the instructors

successfully passed daytime aircraft carrier qualification certification

the first batch of flight students

with dreams of serving the country are battling the skies and galloping the oceans

The photo shows a flight instructor at a naval aviation university conducting carrier-based takeoff and landing technical recovery training. Provided by the Political Work Department of the Navy

The flight instructors continuously sow the "seeds" of practical combat

cultivating the "new greens" who can fight and are good at fighting

Now, on the "tailhook club" photo wall of the aircraft carrier

the number of pilots' photos is increasing

the "70s" lead, the "80s" follow

the "90s" and "00s" rise up

together overlooking the magnificent sea and sky outside the cockpit window...

A certain base of the naval aviation university organized carrier-based aircraft flight students for formation flight training. Xinhua News Agency

Naval aviation university flight students returning from training (archive photo). Photo by Liu Jing

The first batch of female carrier-based aircraft pilots in the navy completed solo landings. Photo by Liao Chao

From the successful landing that shocked the sea and sky

to the routine takeoffs and landings between the sea and sky

from the conversion mode to the growth mode

from exploration to routine deployment

...

The naval aviation troops stand at a new starting point

with the ambition to fight in the deep blue

continuing to write a new chapter of transformation and rebirth

striving unremittingly to build a world-class navy

Reference materials: People's Navy, Eastern Theater Command, People's Daily, "Qiushi", Xinhua News Agency, "PLA Daily", etc.