Key Points and Summary – China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is struggling to train pilots capable of effectively flying its advanced J-20 stealth fighters, creating a significant but often overlooked vulnerability.
-The PLAAF’s training pipeline is outdated, produces far fewer pilots than the U.S. Air Force, and was recently shortened, potentially hindering pilot development.
-The ‘Unfixable’ Problem – This training deficit is compounded by a complete lack of real-world combat experience among its pilots and instructors.
-This “experience gap” means that despite having a technologically impressive aircraft, the PLAAF’s ability to win a real war remains highly questionable.
How Well Are Chinese Air Force Pilots Trained?
Chinese pilots are untested in actual dogfighting and have no combat experience. There was a short war against Vietnam in 1979, but this was mainly a land engagement with few sorties flown. Novice Chinese aviators typically do not participate in rigorous flight exercises that pit theoretical blue and red teams in simulated combat.
Numerous aircraft fly in the vicinity of Taiwan each week, rehearsing for an attack across the Taiwan Strait, but this is not the same as actual combat.
Are They Ready for the Advanced J-20?
Twenty-five years ago, many Chinese aviators would refuse to fly in bad weather or at night. They have overcome this reticence in 2025. They fly newer airplanes, such as the J-20 Mighty Dragon, an all-weather fifth-generation fighter jet that exhibits some stealth characteristics. This is one of the most advanced warplanes in the Chinese fleet, and it requires a well-experienced aviator.
China trains its pilots differently from the United States. There is no comparable Air Force Academy, and there is no equivalent of Air Force ROTC in a university. However, after pilot candidates are selected, they undergo three years of officer training, followed by one year of intermediate flight training and one year of advanced training.
They separate officer training from flight school. One would assume that they have simulated combat and realistic dogfighting against adversarial red teams. Still, that type of training is typically reserved for pilots who have flown on active duty for years.
Removing One Year from a Pilot’s Schooling
In 2024, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) took away that one year of intermediate training. Pilot trainees often eventually fly the PLAAF’s J-10 ( but start with the JL-10 for training). The Chinese receive a healthy amount of flight hours as trainees.
In the advanced year, some pilots are introduced to the J-20 Mighty Dragon. Only the best students fly this jet. However, the JL-10 may not be the proper next step for Chinese aviators to master the J-20 while in flight school. They pick up much of their training when assigned to their final assignment on active duty at air brigades.
Is This Enough Training?
The flight school itself is not fully modernized, and since the PLAAF is eliminating a full year of training, it may serve to hinder the development of a new pilot, even though it gets personnel to their final assignment quicker.
The United States Graduates More Pilots Each Year
Plus, there are now fewer flight schools. There used to be six training centers; now there are only three. China may produce 400 pilots per year, according to Air University’s China Aerospace Studies Institute in a report by Derek Solen. The US Air Force graduates approximately 1,350 pilots annually. That’s why the PLAAF is trying to streamline training – to keep up with the Americans.
PLAAF pilot production “kind of bottlenecks at the university,” Solen said, and this limits the advancement of students through the system. To significantly increase graduates, “it’s going to require more aircraft and more instructors,” he added.
The Best Pilots Undergo Long Simulator Periods
Meanwhile, China is attempting to utilize advanced flight simulators, such as the “high-fidelity cockpit surrounded by a video dome,” Solen explained.
China also assigns its top pilots to fighter training; others who don’t qualify as fighter pilots are assigned to bombers and support aircraft.
Some pilots still train on the older JL-9. Others are on the less sophisticated JL-8. These will all be replaced by the JL-10 in 2026. It is unclear whether the better pilots receive advanced training on the JL-10. There could be a pecking order, meaning the best candidates get to fly the JL-10, while less skilled pilots learn the ropes on the older trainer jets.
One problem with the Chinese flight training is that the process of becoming a pilot had not been changed in years before 2024. The PLAAF is likely worried that this pipeline of pilots is not keeping up with the times, especially when aviators are assigned to the J-20.
One thing the PLAAF could do is reduce the number of years pilots undergo officer training. Three years is a long time, although US Air Force Academy and ROTC students endure four years of school before they can become officers.
The PLAAF must also keep in mind that their training airplanes are mostly third-generation birds, and then pilots must make the transition to fourth and fifth-generation jets later. This asks a lot of the aviators, but the PLAAF figures they can answer the call when finally assigned to follow-on units, being ready for combat.
“Even the JL-10 may be insufficiently advanced to prepare students for the J-20, China’s premier stealth fighter,” Solen said.
The specific training exercises that pilots progress through are, of course, difficult to determine. We would have to personally observe the pilot instruction program to see exactly what students go through. However, it does take a considerable amount of time before PLAAF aviators are ready to go on active duty.
This still doesn’t answer the question of combat experience. Instructors do not possess those valuable battle-honed skills either, which would make training more realistic for new pilots. The Chinese may also not have many pilot slots for advanced weapons schools, such as the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program or “Top Gun.”
The best the PLAAF can do now is fly as many training missions as possible and shorten officer training. They know they need pilots quickly to keep up with the United States. Without Chinese service academies or ROTC units, the Americans have an edge in this respect. The PLAAF is aware of its shortcomings, though, and will eventually create the kind of training that its adversaries use.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
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