J-10 fighter jets in flight training

J-10 fighter jets attached to an aviation unit with the air force under the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command taxi on the runway before takeoff during a flight training exercise on January 5, 2026. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wang Zixiao)

A pilot assigned to an aviation unit with the air force under the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command gesticulates at the ground crew members in the cockpit during a flight training exercise on January 5, 2026. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wang Zixiao)

A J-10 fighter jet attached to a unit with the air force under the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command soars into the sky during a flight training exercise on January 5, 2026. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wang Zixiao)

A J-10 fighter jet attached to a unit with the air force under the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command soars into the sky during a flight training exercise on January 5, 2026. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wang Zixiao)

A pilot assigned to an aviation unit with the air force under the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command looks out of the cockpit during a flight training exercise on January 5, 2026. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wang Zixiao)