Two Chinese military pilots killed during June 10 frontline training

Beijing,UPDATED: Jul 10, 2026 16:58 IST

Two Chinese military pilots, including a senior tactical commander, were killed during frontline flight training exercises on June 10, according to media reports on Friday. China has not made any official statement on the deaths.

The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, citing regional government notices and local media reports, said it was not known whether the two pilots died in the same incident. There have also been no official statements from Beijing or state media reports on the type of aircraft involved.

One of the pilots was 38-year-old Fang Ming, a senior colonel who served as a tactical commander under the People's Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command Naval Aviation unit, the report said, citing Hefei Daily. Fang, from Lujiang County in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui, had enlisted in 2006.

Lujiang local government posted a video on Monday saying Fang died while carrying out flight training on June 10. Local authorities held a memorial service for him on July 3, attended by more than 200 people, including personnel from his unit, according to the government video post.

The video post said the Political Work Department of the Southern Theatre Command Naval Aviation unit recognised Fang as a "martyr". It said he had received a third-class merit in 2018 and a second-class merit for combat readiness and training in 2022.

"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," Xia Yong, who used to work with Fang, said in the video post.

"He put the greater good before his own family, devoting all of his energy to safeguarding the nation's maritime defence," Xia said.

The second pilot was Shi Shaoyong, 25, a first lieutenant in the PLA Navy who was also from the Southern Theatre Command. He died during a night flight training mission, according to an image of the inscription on his tombstone posted by the Yishui government on Saturday.

The inscription said Shi was from Yishui in the northern province of Shandong and was serving in Unit 91911, which also comes under the Southern Theatre Command Naval Aviation division. It was not clear whether he and Fang were on the same aircraft or on the same mission.

Shi enlisted in 2019, was a class IV pilot and had been awarded a third-class merit, local news outlet Linyi News reported. After graduating, he volunteered to work on the South China Sea front line, according to the report. Shi was also recognised as a "martyr" at his memorial service.

Previous reports suggest that Unit 91911, where Shi served, operates helicopters, the South China Morning Post said. Overall, the reports identified Fang and Shi as the two pilots killed on June 10, but official details from Chinese authorities remain limited.

With PTI Inputs

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