Promotional material for the movie Born to Fly, a Chinese military film focusing on the modernization of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force over the past decades, will hit the domestic big screen in 2022. Photo: Screenshot from the web

A trailer for Born to Fly, a Chinese military film focusing on the modernization of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force over the past decades, was released on Saturday. The movie was directed by Liu Xiaoshi, who has rich experience in making promotional films for China's military forces. 

The trailer displays the country's most advanced stealth fighter, the Chengdu J-20, along with the story of how Chinese scientists, engineers and military personnel joined together to make the domestic-made jet fighter a reality.

As China's most advanced stealth fighter jet, a new variant of the J-20 with Chinese made engines debuted at the opening ceremony of the China Airshow in Zhuhai in September 2021.

The trailer the movie Born to Fly, a Chinese military film focusing on the modernization of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force over the past decades, is released on August 13, 2022. Photo: Screenshot from the web

Famed writer/director Han Han is the executive producer, while popular actors Wang Yibo, Hu Jun and Zhou Dongyu have signed on to play the leads.

The movie is set for release before the end of 2022.

Born to Fly focuses on a special group, test pilots of the PLA Air Force.

The movie presents the struggles of Chinese scientists and engineers as they work to catch up with the times in stealth jet research and advancement after the country experienced a technological blockade under the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM) and Wassenaar Arrangement.

The trailer the movie Born to Fly, a Chinese military film focusing on the modernization of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force over the past decades, is released on August 13, 2022. Photo: Screenshot from the web

Born to Fly follows the story of a pilot named Lei Yu, played by Wang. After experiencing a rigorous and strict selection process, Lei, together with other pilots, becomes part of the new generation of test pilots. 

Under the lead of Captain Zhang Ting, they are able to participate in testing the most advanced and latest stealth fighters before the public even gets a chance to take a close look at them. Yet they are constantly challenged by their own limits.

The tests pilots are constantly pushed to their limits both physically and psychologically. For example, in the trailer, Lei must train in extreme cold and extreme heat. 

The film will present the power and speed of China's latest fighter jets as well as reveal the work and life of a test pilot, a representative of the contemporary PLA Air Force. 

Audiences will be able to enjoy seeing a variety of China's most cutting-edge fighter jets, including the J-20, J-16 and J-10C, on the big screen.

A graduate from the Beijing Film Academy, Liu has made promotional films for China's first aircraft carrier the Liaoning, the transport aircraft Yun-20, also known as "Kunpeng," and other promotional films for the air forces of Egypt and Pakistan.

Global Times