BEIJING -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy will recruit female cadet pilots to fly carrier-based aircraft for the first time in its recently-launched 2023 recruiting program.

The cadets who pass the selection procedures, which will test the candidates' physical and psychological qualities and flying talent, will have a chance to become China's first female carrier-based aircraft pilots.

The recruitment is also open for the first time to new graduates of science and engineering majors at ordinary universities as well as college students performing military services in the Chinese navy and university graduates who have joined the navy, other than only high-school and military-school graduates in the past.

Carrier-based aircraft pilots are the core element of the combat capabilities of aircraft carriers, and the accelerated transformation of the PLA Navy makes the demand for carrier-based carrier pilots increasingly urgent, said a Chinese navy officer.

Eligible candidates can apply for the selection procedures online, according to the detailed recruitment information released by the navy.