By putting a red team and a blue team against each other in close-range combat training, the exercise tested the pilots’ comprehensive combat capabilities in complex battlefield conditions.
The video report showed JL-9 trainer jets in action, with one deploying wingtip split rudders during landing.
Public reports indicate that wingtip split rudders are a new feature to an upgraded version of the JL-9 that made its maiden test flight in May 2020.
Compared to the original JL-9, the upgraded version of the aircraft removed the drogue parachute installation located at the vertical tail, and added wingtip split rudders, aiming to improve stability and low-speed performance, eastday.com, a Shanghai-based news website, reported at the time.
The JL-9 trainer aircraft is used to train pilots for aircraft carrier-based fighter jets, which do not use drogue parachutes, so it is normal for the trainer to remove this design. The new split rudders act as air brakes, helping pilots practice carrier landings more effectively, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Sunday.
Using split rudders instead of drogue parachutes can also help lowering the weight of the aircraft, improving overall performance, Song said.
