PLA drills result in jet crashes in East China. (Photo : Getty Images)
Military analysts believe that more drills from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army would cause more jet crashes similar to the incident on Wednesday.
Talking to the South China Morning Post, Antony Wong Dong, a military observer from Macau, said that it would not be surprising if the drills conducted by China's PLA will result in more crashes but would definitely help pilots be better.
"Fighter crashes are very common in the U.S. military even though it has the world's most capable military pilots. More drills will result in more accidents, which will allow pilots to learn practical lessons," Wong said.
According to him, the PLA pilots have become better in their jobs over the past years because they were able to reduce the number of casualties during these incidents.
Jet Crash
On Wednesday, a Chinese naval fighter jet participating in a drill exercise at about 7:30 p.m. local time collided into a factory located in China's eastern province of Zhejiang.
Navy spokesperson Liang Yang told the ECNS that although part of the factory received significant damage, there have been no reports of any casualties.
He also noted that an investigation has commenced on the incident to determine the cause of the crash.
Over the six past months, two drill-related crashes have been reported in Taizhou where pilots were able to eject from the aircraft and land safely using their parachutes.
What Analysts Think About the Drills
According to naval expert Li Jie from Beijing, the drills being conducted recently focus on improving the pilots' performance in "all-weather flights."
"More aviation drills have taken place in the East China Sea, with training focusing on all-weather flights close to combat conditions," he said.
Aside from that, they also learn how to land their planes even on narrow man-made airstrips similar to those built along the Spratly islands.
But while Wong lauded the improvement in PLA pilots' performances in reducing casualty, it is still no excuse for the property damage that occurs.
Despite this, China and all other countries who want to improve their military force in the air are bent on conducting drill exercises to make sure their pilots and aircraft are ready for any situation.
"The more frequent, lengthy and difficult training sessions are, the higher the risk of a jet accident, which is a worldwide phenomenon," China Naval Research Institute research fellow Zhang Junshe explained, adding that such risks cannot prevent these practices from continuing.
He also noted that nighttime drills are particularly difficult compared to the ones set during daytime since the optical range is steeper which further increases the risk level.
