China’s new Hongdu carrier-based advanced twin‑engine jet trainer

First look: China’s new carrier-based advanced twin‑engine jet trainer by  has completed its initial test flight. Previously, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) relied on the JL‑9G, a single‑engine trainer adapted from the Guizhou JL‑9/JJ‑7 airframe. However, as many observers have noted, all of China’s current carrier‑based combat aircraft are twin‑engine designs, making the older single‑engine JL‑9G a less suitable candidate for lead‑in fighter trainer (LIFT) roles.

 

China's upgraded JL-9 naval trainer jet featured in official report
http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/CHINA_209163/Features_209191/16377828.html
Source
    Global Times
Editor
    Li Weichao

Time
    2025-03-30 21:51:40

 
 

A JL-9 trainer aircraft attached to a regiment affiliated with the Naval Aviation University of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) lands after a combat exercise in the spring of 2025. Photo: Screenshot from the Sina Weibo account of China Bugle, an official media account affiliated with the PLA news media center

An upgraded version of China's JL-9 naval trainer jet was featured in a recent official report, revealing newly added wingtip split rudders. A Chinese military affairs expert said on Sunday that the technology will enhance carrier pilot training and could be applied to future stealth aircraft.

A regiment affiliated with the Naval Aviation University of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently organized pilots to conduct an aerial maneuvering exercise under combat scenarios, China Bugle, an official media account affiliated with the PLA News Media Center, reported on Saturday evening.

By putting a red team and a blue team against each other in close-range combat training, the exercise tested the pilots' comprehensive combat capabilities in complex battlefield conditions.

The video report showed JL-9 trainer jets in action, with one deploying wingtip split rudders during landing.

Public reports indicate that wingtip split rudders are a new feature to an upgraded version of the JL-9 that made its maiden test flight in May 2020.

Compared to the original JL-9, the upgraded version of the aircraft removed the drogue parachute installation located at the vertical tail, and added wingtip split rudders, aiming to improve stability and low-speed performance, eastday.com, a Shanghai-based news website, reported at the time.

The JL-9 trainer aircraft is used to train pilots for aircraft carrier-based fighter jets, which do not use drogue parachutes, so it is normal for the trainer to remove this design. The new split rudders act as air brakes, helping pilots practice carrier landings more effectively, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Using split rudders instead of drogue parachutes can also help lowering the weight of the aircraft, improving overall performance, Song said.

The appearance of the upgraded JL-9 in an official report is an indication that the aircraft has technically matured, Song said.

Beyond the JL-9, Song noted that wingtip air brake and split rudder technologies have potential in future stealth aircraft. To achieve better stealth, next-generation aircraft tend remove vertical wings, so they need to use other types of stabilizers to control the aircraft, and this is when alternative control surfaces like wingtip rudders become relevant. 

 

 

Forever Type62 Light Tank

Before the introduction of the Type 15/ZTQ-15 light tank, the PLA fielded the Type 62 as its dedicated light tank in 1963. The Type 62 was essentially a scaled-down version of the Type 59 (itself derived from the Soviet T-54/55), designed specifically for operations in the jungles and mountainous terrain of southern China, where larger main battle tanks were less practical.

However, the PLA was never fully satisfied with the Type 62. Its thin armor offered limited protection, a weakness that became evident during the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, where it suffered losses because of it. As a result, the tank was gradually relegated to secondary roles, such as reconnaissance.

Despite these shortcomings, the Type 62 found considerable export success thanks to its light weight and mobility. It was widely used in several African conflicts, with one of the most recent appearances being in the fighting in Sudan, as highlighted in a Central China Television (CCTV) news report (Oct 27th, 2026)

 

 

Blue Sword-2025 joint naval exercise. Look, there's PLAN Marine in Saudi Arabia

 

"Saudi Arabia and China launched the their third joint naval exercises, codenamed Blue Sword 2025, in Saudi waters, reflecting the two nations’ growing defence and strategic cooperation. The drills began on Monday at the King Abdulaziz Naval Base in Jubail, home to the Royal Saudi Navy’s Eastern Fleet, and will continue for three weeks, according to the Saudi ministry of defence. "

For rest of the article, (here)
 

The PLA Navy Marine Corps is deploying the Type 08/ZBL-08 armored vehicle to evaluate its performance in desert operations, alongside an opportunity to play with the G36 rifle

 

PR Video Of The Day: 124th Amphibious Combat Assault Brigade Storming A Beach with Dog and FPV Drones

The 124th Amphibious Combat Assault Brigade, 72nd Group Army, Eastern Theater Command (link), was the farmed  124th Amphibious Mechanized Infantry Division before the reform.(link)

 You can watch the report in its video format (here)

In this Central China Television (CCTV) report, the dramatized depiction of storming a fortified beach from a Type 071 Landing Platform Dock (LPD) was showcased. How closely this exercise reflects real-world operations is debatable.  I’ll leave that judgment to you.

That aside, several noteworthy points stand out. The Type 071 amphibious transport dock, as shown in the footage, can carry up to 60 armored fighting vehicles and is capable of deploying a battalion-sized assault group. However, the ZBD-05 amphibious infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and the ZTD-05 amphibious assault gun were used primarily as battlefield taxis. They did not remain in the fight or employ their firepower to push inland, leaving drones and infantry to absorb heavy casualties.  All of the robotic “dog” drones were wiped out, as the clip shown.

It is also clear that the ZBD-05 and ZTD-05 would be highly vulnerable to the opposing force’s (Blue Force) anti-tank weapons. Interestingly, the Blue Force/Bad Guy in this exercise did not employ drones at all, which raises questions about the realism and tactical accuracy of the scenario.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Storming the beach -- 124th Amphibious Mechanized Infantry Division

After the much-publicized unveiling of Chinese Zubr offloading a Type96 MBT in July,  the 42nd Group Army, Guangzhou MR conducted another small scale (by Chinese standards) drill two days ago to hone their skills.

 A landing craft air cushion approaches an amphibious dock landing ship during a joint landing training exercise on August 20, 2015. The landing craft air cushion and the amphibious dock landing ship are assigned to a landing ship flotilla under the South China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy.

 

 

Friday, November 06, 2009

Joint PLA PLAN-Marine Amphibious Military Exercise.

The recently conducted joint amphibious military exercise between the 124th Amphibious Mechanized Infantry Division, 42nd Group Army, Guangzhou MR and the 1st PLAN Marine Brigade, South Sea Fleet, was not well covered by the Chinese media in contrast to the larger exercise such as the Vangard 2009, Firepower 2009, West Region 2009, and the Airborne Maneuver 2009. Nevertheless, it should be noted by this blog.