What China’s carrier recruitment drive says about PLA Navy’s long-term ambitions

China’s aircraft carrier programme is entering a new phase as Beijing broadens its focus to improve the recruitment and training of the crews and pilots needed for operations far from the country’s home waters, according to a new report.

The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy was making sweeping changes to pilot recruitment and training.

Rather than relying mainly on experienced aviators transferring from operational squadrons, the navy had expanded recruitment through civilian universities and dedicated programmes for high school graduates, replacing what analysts described as a stopgap approach with a permanent pipeline, the report said.

The shift became more apparent in 2022, when the navy said its transformation from a “shore-based force” to a “ship-based force” had been “basically completed”, and pointed to its new recruitment and training programmes for carrier aviation.

Unlike the country’s two other carriers, the Liaoning and Shandong, the Fujian is expected to operate a significantly more capable and diverse air wing, including the J-35 stealth fighter and the KJ-600 airborne early warning aircraft – something that will require a deeper pool of specialised pilots, instructors, mechanics and flight-deck crews.