China, Laos inaugurate joint aviation training facilities at Ban Keun
A Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force Yak-130UTS advanced jet trainer. China and Laos have established a joint aviation academy at Ban Keun Airport that could support the development of a more structured domestic pilot-training system. (AFP via Getty Images)
China and Laos inaugurated a joint support and training centre and an aviation academy at Ban Keun Airport in Vientiane Province on 29 September, establishing a new facility for training Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force (LPLAAF) pilots.
China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said the China-Laos Joint Support and Training Center at Ban Keun Airport and the China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy had formally begun operating. The facilities are intended to help Laos strengthen the training of its air force pilots and will be jointly operated by the two countries, the MND said.
Beijing and Vientiane have not disclosed the number or status of Chinese personnel expected to use the facilities; the aircraft, equipment, or infrastructure assigned to them; their command arrangements; or the terms governing People's Liberation Army (PLA) access to Ban Keun Airport.
Training support
It is likely that the facilities are intended to address a shortfall in the LPLAAF's training capacity. The status of LPLAAF training is unclear. However, according to Janes data, the service operates five Shijiazhuang Aircraft Industry Corporation (SAIC) LE500 basic trainers, delivered from 2013, and four Yakovlev Yak-130UTS advanced jet trainers, which were first delivered from late 2018.
Janes data shows an LPLAAF training squadron equipped with the Yak-130UTS but does not identify its operating base. The air force operates mainly from Vientiane-Wattay International Airport and also uses smaller airports and airfields elsewhere in Laos.
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