Article Posted on : - Apr 21, 2016

The JH-7A fighter bomber.

BEIJING (BNS): The PLA Air Force's FBC-1 "Flying Leopard" fighter bombers will now be flown by women pilots.

The female pilots will fly the independently developed and manufactured FBC-1 fighter jet for the first time, the PLA Daily newspaper reported Wednesday.

The two-seat, twin-engine aircraft, also known as Xian JH-7 fighter bomber, contains two cabins, with the fore-cabin holding the cockpit while the rear cabin controls the weapons.

Until now, the cockpit had been occupied only by male pilots. The Air Force of the People's Liberation Army has decided to modify the jet's cockpit to better accommodate female pilots, the news report said.

The Air Force is now training women to fly the jets at an air base in northeast China. The pilots will also carry out night formation flight drills for future combat missions.