| Yu Xu | |
| Native Name: | 余旭 |
| Birth Date: | March 1986 |
| Birth Place: | Chongqing County, Sichuan, China (present day Chongzhou, Sichuan, China) |
| Death Date: | 12 November 2016 (aged 30) |
| Death Place: | Yutian County, Hebei, China |
| Nationality: | Chinese |
| Occupation: | Military pilot |
Yu Xu (; March 1986 – November 12, 2016)[1] [2] was a Chinese female fighter pilot who served as a flight squadron leader in the August 1st aerobatic team of the People's Liberation Army Air Force.
Yu was born in Chengdu, the capital of the southwestern Chinese province Sichuan.[3]
Yu entered the military as a student at the PLA Air Force Aviation University in 2005, and graduated in 2009.[4] [5] Sixteen women (including Yu) had graduated that year, which made her among the first women certified to fly fighter jets.[3]
Yu joined the People's Liberation Army Air Force in September 2005. Yu appeared with the other female pilots at the 2010 CCTV New Year's Gala.[3] In 2012, she was certified to fly the Chengdu J-10, single-engine jet.[1] Yu's fans referred to her with the nickname, "Golden Peafowl."[6]
Yu died during an aerobatic training session on November 12, 2016, after being struck by another plane as she ejected from the J-10.[7] However, some official press reported she was unable to eject on time from her plane before it made impact with the ground.[8]