Li recalls he had to work continuously for around 50 hours. He and the crew also had to fight weather conditions like rain and fog, when the aircraft could not take off.

"I have worked as an actor for 20 years. I could take a rest when I didn't need to act. But as a director, I have to keep my mind at work even during breaks. I am exhausted but also excited," Li says.

He says the script is built on an attempt to tell the public about the achievements of the Chinese air force and demonstrate the progress in recent years.

"We interviewed some excellent pilots. The major characters are based on true stories. We hope the movie can show the public their routine lives, training and strategies to resolve crisis, " says Li.

To pursue a visual feat, the movie spent 200 million yuan ($ 30.2 million) while making, with nearly one-third of the total used for producing more than 1,400 special-effects scenes.

But for the producers, they have high expectations from the movie.

Zhang Li, one of the producers and scriptwriters for Sky Hunter and an air force lieutenant colonel, says the popularity of military-themed movies, such as Operation Mekong and Wolf Warrior 2, shows the market potential and audience interest in such patriotic movies.

But he says that most of the recruits once told him that a reason for them applying to join the Chinese air force was the Hollywood hit Top Gun (1986), which stars Tom Cruise as a fighter pilot.

He says Sky Hunter will give Chinese their own air force heroes.