Four female acrobatic pilots are set to fly at the Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) in Malaysia next week in China-built Chengdu J-10 fighter jets.
Pilots Yu Xu, Tao Jiali, Sheng Yifei and He Xiaoli of the The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) acrobatic team left for Malaysia on Wednesday along with their aircraft, said PLAAF spokesman Shen Jinke, adding it will be the first time for China's first female military aviators to perform abroad.
The four women, with an average of more than 800 hours of flight training under their belts, previously participated in a high-profile military parade commemorating the People's Republic of China's 60th anniversary in 2009.
They also flew J-10 fighters at the 10th Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Guangdong Province in the country's southeast in November the previous year, according to a report from state-owned CCTV.
The Air Force hopes the acrobatic team's participation in the LIMA air show will serve to strengthen China's ties with Malaysia, improve mutual trust between the two nations' armies, build on the image of the Chinese military, and showcase China's aeronautic equipment and military spirit, Shen said.
Shen said that the PLAAF has also been paying more attention to international exchanges in recent years. In 2013, China's air force aerobatics team made its first overseas performance in Moscow.
The five-day LIMA show, one of the largest maritime and aerospace exhibitions in the Asia-Pacific region, will open Tuesday next week. Stunt flying of fighter planes from Malaysia, U.S. and France will be staged during the event along with maritime demonstrations and round-table discussions with military delegations from various countries.