Twelve soldiers were sworn in to become shipborne fighter plane pilots on Nov. 30 at a meeting in honor of Zhang Chao, who was killed due to a plane malfunction on April 27.
After Zhang's demise, officers and soldiers transformed their grief and stress into motivation, achieving one success after another in training. Their efforts improved the training system of shipborne fighter plane pilots, marking another important achievement for the construction of Chinese naval power.
Since May, the Chinese navy has completed offshore training, joint training, battlefield construction and a number of other missions. What's more, the Chinese navy has carried out routine patrols outside the island chain and accomplished combat training for shipborne fighter planes. Great breakthroughs have also been made in military force-building, such as aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines.