2 Chinese military naval pilots killed during PLA frontline training exercises

Two Chinese military pilots, including a high-ranking tactical commander, died last month during frontline flight training exercises. Beijing, which rarely discloses military fatalities, has not commented on the deaths, and it remains unclear if they occurred in the same incident.

One of the deceased, 38-year-old Senior Colonel Fang Ming, served as a tactical commander in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theatre Command Naval Aviation unit. State media reported that Fang, who enlisted in 2006, died on June 10 while conducting flight training. A memorial service was held for him on July 3 in his hometown of Lujiang county, Anhui province, attended by over 200 people from his unit and local government.

The Political Work Department of the Southern Theatre Command Naval Aviation unit posthumously recognized Fang as a martyr. He had received a third-class merit award in 2018 and a second-class merit award for combat readiness and training in 2022. A former colleague described Fang's aspiration to defend the country's skies and seas, noting his consistent willingness to lead in training and missions.

The incident occurs as China aggressively modernizes its armed forces and intensifies training on new tactics and hardware to prepare for modern warfare demands.

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His aspiration was to defend our country’s skies and seas. Whether in daily training or while carrying out operational missions, he always volunteered to take the lead.