Aviation training vessel

An aviation training vessel is a ship built or adapted to train naval helicopter and shipboard aircrew in deck operations: take-off, landing, approach, refueling, and air traffic control at sea. Examples include the Royal Australian Navy’s MV Sycamore, a Damen multi-role aviation training vessel delivered by Serco in 2017, the Republic of Korea Navy’s ROKS Hansando (ATH-81) at about 142 meters, and China’s Shichang, the PLAN’s first aviation training ship. Russia’s Project 14400 (lead ship Nikolai Kamov) fills the same role. These ships give aircrew a moving flight deck without tying up a frontline carrier or amphibious ship, lowering the cost of qualifying deck-landing pilots.