File photo of China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. (Photo/Xinhua)
A new batch of Chinese fighter pilots has qualified to make landings on China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.
Dai Mingmeng, who heads the fighter pilot squadron which will eventually be based on the Liaoning, says this round of qualifications mark a milestone.
"This batch of fighter pilots made successful landings, marking a major transition from being trained by the people who designed the J-15 to training conducted by the troops. It is also another important milestone for the development of China's aircraft carrier force."
The "Liaoning" was officially commissioned in September of 2012.
Since then, Chinese fighter pilots have been training on both the land and at sea to conduct landings on the aircraft carrier, which are said to be the most difficult landings a pilot can make, as they have to account for both the limited landing space and the movement of the boat on the water.
