2 Chinese military pilots killed during training exercises: Report

Two Chinese military pilots were killed during training exercises last month, South China Morning Post reported Friday, citing local media and official government notices.

Beijing, which rarely discloses military fatalities, has not officially commented on the deaths, and it remains unclear whether the two pilots were killed in the same incident.

One of the pilots, 38-year-old Fang Ming, was a senior colonel and tactical commander with the People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command Naval Aviation unit.

Fang, from Lujiang county in Anhui province, enlisted in 2006, according to state media. A video posted by the Lujiang government on Monday said he died during flight training on June 10.

More than 200 people, including personnel from his unit, attended Fang’s memorial service on July 3, the local government said.

It said the Political Work Department of the Southern Theater Command Naval Aviation unit recognized Fang as a martyr. He had received a third-class merit in 2018 and a second-class merit for combat readiness and training in 2022.

Another pilot, 25-year-old First Lt. Shi Shaoyong of the PLA Navy, also died on June 10 while serving with the Southern Theater Command. It is unclear whether the two men were on the same aircraft or mission.

According to an image of his tombstone inscription posted by his hometown government on Saturday, Shi died during a night flight training mission.

The inscription said Shi, from Yishui county in Shandong province, served in Unit 91911 under the Southern Theater Command Naval Aviation division.