Video footage showing Chinese carrier-borne fighter jets taking off and landing on China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning was released on China Central Television on Thursday.

Carrier expert Li Jie told Global Times that the night landings marked a huge step in the People's Liberation Army Navy's push to gain full combat capability.

China is now one of the few countries in the world to have acquired such capability, and this was also the first time that state media in China confirmed this information.

Li said that night battles are a major constituent of modern warfare, and night landing is a critical standard to assess the capability of pilots of carrier-borne fighter jets, and the carrier themselves.

According to Li, night landing is a huge challenge for pilots since it is difficult for them to distinguish signal lights at night. Therefore, psychological competence is a crucial factor.

At least four to five pilots have successfully finished the night landing training, Li analyzed, predicting that more will train to form comprehensive combat units.